Falling in love with a city

I went to Brighton in 2016 thanks to my Erasmus grant from my university, and I fell in love with the city so much that after finishing my degree, I decided to go back to Brighton.

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Brighton is a small city. This is a good thing if you are someone who feels too small in places like Berlin or Madrid. It can be a positive thing, because arriving from another place that's completely the opposite can be difficult, and plus, you most of the time you can walk everywhere!

Brighton ensures that you can discover more about yourself at the same time. In this city, going into the street in an outfit that would make people look at you strangely as you walk past in Madrid, doesn't mean anything here. You can walk by unnoticed because it's normal to dress in a style that's different to the norm. As you won't feel judged, experiment! And because of this, it's a great city for an Erasmus student, because you can change and get to know yourself without any reservation.

For a Spaniard like me, the fact that there are six Spanish restaurants makes sure that when you feel homesick, you can go and eat a plate of croquettes to make yourself feel better. Also, when it comes to going on a night out, there are clubs that play Spanish music to make you feel closer to home.

In terms of traditions and customs in Brighton, there are some that shock people. When I was reading about the city before I came with Erasmus, I saw that there was a naked bike ride, and this stuck with me because I had never, in my life, heard of this before. However, it's a special form of protest that everyone should go and see.

Brighton has a multicultural nature that you will not see in other parts of the world. The University of Sussex has many international students and because of this, the streets of the city are full of young adventurous people. You are able to talk to people that come from places on the other side of the world, learn about their cultures, it's a one of a kind experience.

Living near the beach, but being in the United Kingdom, can make you think that you're not going to enjoy swimming there... However, in Brighton, they tend to have pretty good weather in comparison to the rest of the country.

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If I had to say one negative thing about this city, it's the fact that it's very expensive to live there. Finding the cheapest places to buy isn't difficult, but the cheapest in Brighton would be the most expensive in another city. The houses are far too expensive for what they are.

Apart from that, living in Brighton is an incredible experience that I would recommend to everyone.