The best year of my life - Cardiff

In this text, I am going to talk a bit about my Erasmus experience. I'll mention the most important aspects of the city and the country that I chose, and the recommendations for people who are considering this city for their Erasmus year etc. I hope it's useful for you!

During the 2013/2014 academic year, I was on Erasmus in the capital of Wales, Cardiff. It is situated to the southwest of the UK, near the border with England (it's less than an hour from England). I spent a total of 10 months in this city from September 2013 to July 2014.

I chose this city as my Erasmus destination basically at random, just because it was the only English-speaking destination that my university offered. I had never heard of the city, nor did I know anyone that had been there before to tell me about it... I had no idea what I would find, and I was completely alone before the "risk" and the situation scared me a little. Going to a foreign country for a year gave me a bit of vertigo because it can seem like a different world when you're moving alone.

One of the biggest fears I had when I arrived, was that I wouldn't fit in well with the locals, as I had the idea that people in the UK were very cold and distant. But to my surprise, once I was there I found the complete opposite to what I had imagined. From the start, the Welsh people welcomed me with open arms. As soon as someone found out that I was foreign, they did all they could to try and make my life easier. They helped me if I had problems with the language, they took me into their friendship groups... I always felt at home! This was the main reason I adapted so well to life in Wales, and after a few weeks there, I already had the feeling that I had lived there half my life, despite being very far away from home. It wasn't too difficult to adapt despite the huge cultural differences between Spain and the UK.

There were lots of international students in the city, from Erasmus as well as other European exchange programmes, and also from other continents. I met people from all over the world: Italians, Germans, Turks, Portuguese, French, Koreans, Morrocans, Taiwanese, Chinese, Mexicans... people from all countries of the world, which is always positive because it allows you to come into contact with lots of different cultures and learn more about them. Most days we would get together and eat food typical of a certain country, or we would teach each other words from our language, and we would talk about the customs of our countries too.

The city itself has a lot of charm as well as the people and is great for sightseeing. For example:

• Cardiff Castle: is a medieval castle situated in the centre of the city. Its interior is a Gothic-style Victorian mansion which belonged to the Marquises of Bute. There is also a bomb shelter inside which was used during the Second World War. It is free to enter the castle with the "castle key", which is a card that you can get proving you live in the city and lets you visit for free as many times as you want over the next three years.

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• Castell Coch: another Gothic, 19th century castle. It is in the neighbouring town of Tongwynlais, but you can get there on foot through the "Taff Trail", which connects Cardiff with some of the surrounding towns.

  

• Its museums, which you can enter for free. I highly recommend St. Fagan's National History Museum, an open-air museum that shows culture, architecture and daily life of the Welsh in different periods of history. The National Museum has an art gallery that houses different expositions and a museum about natural history.

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The City of Arcades is situated in the centre of the city, which has traditional shops and cafes as well as tea rooms.

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• At the Indoor Market in the centre of the city you can buy everything from fresh food to records, clothes, pets and typical Welsh sweets... there are even restaurants inside.

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• The bay, known as Cardiff Bay, is located at the city's port. It is an area designed for leisure and is full of restaurants, bars and pubs.

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• Its immense parks and green areas. I would particularly recommend Bute Park, an enormous park in the heart of the city and also stretches the length of it too. Roath Park is also worth visiting, it has a lake with a very characteristic lighthouse. As soon as the sun rises, the parks are full of people sunbathing, playing sports and eating ice cream from the ice cream van.

• Its churches: the majority are of Gothic style and they look a lot different compared to buildings in Andalucia where I'm from. I would recommend Llandaff Cathedral.

  

It is the perfect city to visit, and it has the advantage that, as it is not a huge city, you don't have to depend on transport to get around. You can see everything in a day or two and you won't have any problems getting from one place to another. All my friends and family that came to visit me that year loved the city and were surprised because it isn't a famous city and many of them didn't know about it.

Another good point about Cardiff is its location. It is very close to other British cities that are worth visiting, like Bath or Bristol (which has an airport from which you can fly to practically anywhere in Europe at very cheap prices). It is also very well connected by train and bus with the majority of important cities in the UK. During my stay there I travelled to: Oxford, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Swansea, Edinburgh, Glasgow etc.

Christ Church, Oxford

Tower Bridge, London

Pulteney Bridge, Bath

Wales also has a lot of places to visit, as it is one of the countries in the world with the most castles. For example near Cardiff, you will find towns like Caerphilly and Chepstow which have huge, well-preserved castles which are well worth a visit. It's like being in an episode of Game of Thrones! Caerphilly Castle, for instance, is the biggest castle in the UK.

Taking advantage of the proximity of numerous airports, I also travelled abroad on my Erasmus year. For example, I went to Italy, Ireland and Latvia.

Despite not being a very big city (it has around 340, 000 inhabitants), Cardiff was full of life and students. It has three universities (Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of South Wales). That means that there is an array of leisure options in Cardiff for young people. There are bars, pubs, restaurants, clubs, sports and sporting events, boat trips around the bay, cinemas, shopping centres, concerts by local and international artists, shows etc. Life in Cardiff revolves around students. Everything there is designed around making your student life as pleasant as possible, and there is definitely no time to be bored!

No matter what day of the week it is, if you want to party or just go out and drink, you will always find lots of places to go to and people on the streets. Being a university city, the nightlife is incredible. There is a wide range of nightclubs and pubs that you can go to on any day of the week. The clubs are also very different from each other, so you will definitely find something you like whatever your style, whether it be Revolution, Oceana, Glam, Student Union, Live Lounge etc.

Another great thing about this city is the live music. You will find live groups and singers of all genres playing every night in several pubs, so you can enjoy a beer with live music in a variety of places. The main pubs that have live music are Soda Bar, Gwdihw and Flora. It is also common to see bands playing in the street in the centre of the city (this is known as "busking"). The bands play music for people passing by in the street as a way of making their music known and to earn some money.

If you like rugby, Cardiff is your ideal city! There are often parties for the Six Nations, and the city goes wild when Wales are playing. The centre is full of fans who wear the colours and symbols of the team, and the pubs show the games on giant screens so you can see them while you have a pint of one of the many beers in the UK. There is also the option of watching the matches live at the Principality Stadium, which is located right in the centre. This is definitely something you should experience.

As for important holidays, I would highlight the following for Cardiff:

On 1st March, the national holiday of Wales, St. David's Day, is celebrated. On this day the whole city is a party: there are open-air events, a parade where Welsh people wear the country's symbols (dragons, sheep, daffodils, rugby balls... ) and there is a really great atmosphere.

Also, Halloween is a very marked date in the UK. As can be seen in films, it is common to see pumpkins on the doors of houses, and dressed-up children who knock on doors to ask for sweets. The pubs and clubs organise themed parties that you can dress up for and there is a big student atmosphere at night.

Another important day is 5th November, which is "Guy Fawkes night". Those of you who have seen the movie "V for Vendetta" will be familiar with this date. It is a country-wide celebration throughout the UK, commemorating the arrest of Guy Fawkes, who planned to blow up the British parliament. On the night of 5th November, bonfires are lit all over the city and there are lots of firework displays.

As for the university, I was studying at the Cardiff Metropolitan University, and the experience was unbeatable. Being a university that received a moderate amount of Erasmus students, it was very well-organised and pretty much met our needs in a personalised way, and it was all very quick and efficient. During the year I didn't have any problems with the subjects, teachers, accreditations, etc., and they were very understanding when evaluating me, giving me longer deadlines to deliver the work due to the difficulties I had with the language, etc. The educational system is very different from the one I was used to (Spanish), so it was very enriching to be attending such different classes for a whole year, and it changed my perspective of studying. Contrary to popular belief that when you go away on Erasmus you don't study, this was possibly the year I put more effort into my studies because the educational system motivated me a lot and although attendance was not compulsory, I never missed classes.

There is also a tradition in the UK that each university has its own "Students Union", a type of big association for students that constantly organises all types of activities (cultural, sports, trips etc. ). Each university also has what is called "Societies", which are like clubs which you can join according to your interests (sports clubs, dance clubs, clubs for specific countries). It's not all about studying.

To get around the city I would recommend using a bike. The city is very flat and is full of bike lanes and huge parks that cross the city, so you can cycle problem-free. Also, as I mentioned before, it's not a big city, so the bike is the most comfortable (and cheaper, because public transport is a bit expensive) way to cross the city.

As for looking for accommodation, which is a topic that usually worries students who are going on Erasmus, I have to say that it is quite easy to find a place to live in Cardiff. Using estate agents is really useful. There are many agencies that specialise in student housing as it is a big university city. In my case, in a matter of a few days I had already found a house in the student area (Cathays) for a reasonable price. Most of the houses are the typical single-family house with a small garden at the front and a backyard. Blocks of flats aren't as common there. There is also the option of staying in student accommodation that belongs to the universities, but I personally don't recommend it as they are a lot more expensive and don't usually include meals.

The best areas to live if you are a student are Cathays and Roath, which are very close to the university and are full of other university students, so there is a really young atmosphere. There are also neighbourhoods near the centre (about a 15-minute walk), where you can find lots of pubs and clubs and the prices are well-suited to the budgets of Erasmus students, which is a bonus!

The fact that I was in an English-speaking country for about a year really improved my knowledge of the language. As the classes are in English, and you need to speak to develop in any area of ​life (even my housemates were all British), on my return I noticed that I spoke better and understood much more than before I left (I went with a B2 level and when I came back I got C2). Going to a country where you are forced to speak English all the time makes you forget your fear and embarrassment and you realize that the important thing is to make sure you understand and not worry about making mistakes. You notice improvements as you go on and it is definitely the most effective way to learn a language well and become fluent.

The only downside of Cardiff is the weather. The temperatures are not particularly cold in winter, especially compared to other British cities. Being on the coast, the temperature was quite mild and there wasn't much difference between day and night. The biggest problem was that, as in the rest of the country, the rain was constant and it was unusual to go two or three days without rain, even in summer. For a person from Andalucia this is a little shocking at the beginning, but over time you get used to it. Everyone there is accustomed to this climate and cities are more prepared for the rain and people tend to spend less time outdoors.

Another thing to keep in mind about Cardiff (and about the UK in general) is their difference in living standards with respect to countries like Spain (in my case). The price of housing or food is much higher than in Spain, so it is important to know this before going there, as it is possible that the financial help you receive will not cover all your expenses. Saying that, it should be noted that Cardiff, and Wales in general, are relatively cheap places to live compared to other places in the UK like London. As Cardiff is a very student-oriented city, there are many places that offer student prices, which is always appreciated. With your student card, you can get discounts in lots of restaurants, shops and tourist attractions.

It's been more than three years since I packed my suitcase and began my adventure in the UK. When I remember how scared I was, I feel a little naive. If I could have known the incredible experience that awaited me... I would have gone with a much more positive attitude. My time in Cardiff was wonderful and I remember it as the best year of my life. It was a very enriching experience on all levels, both personal and academic. In fact, I haven't ruled out going back to live in Cardiff in the future, either for internships or work, because it is a city that I completely fell in love with in my 10 months there.

Cardiff took me in, taught me a lot and allowed me to meet people who are still in my life today. The Erasmus experience unites students for life, and I still keep in touch with many of my friends from that year. We have travelled to see each other, and I am even invited to one of their weddings in England!

My advice to all those who are considering Cardiff as a possible destination for their Erasmus year: don't doubt it! The city has everything an Erasmus student needs!

Going on Erasmus changes your life in many ways, anyone who has done it can tell you that. And if you do it in a city like Cardiff you have so much to gain. I wouldn't change my experience for anywhere else. To all of you who are considering Erasmus but are scared, don't worry about it! The idea of ​​going to another country far from your comfort zone can be a bit scary at first, but once you manage to overcome those fears you realize that it's the best way to learn.