Erasmus in Murcia

This time last year I would have been in Murcia for about a month. I got there on the 2nd of February and stayed there until the 10th of July, more or less. So many beautiful memories! Murcia has definitely left so many beautiful memories in my heart, and so I write this post so that the next person on an Erasmus here can make use of the best information and choose where to go on their Erasmus, what to do, why choose the chosen destination, or why not!

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Where to go

I would, without a shadow of a doubt, recommend Murcia. Of course, I might be a little biased but you can do what you want, only that I carry Murcia in my heart.

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I will begin by admitting that I really do love Murcia, so I will perhaps be a little biased when writing this information about the city, but don't worry, I also have an acute critical spirit, so I can also offer you some relatively negative information, if necessary.

Why Murcia

Life in Murcia obviously depends on the lifestyle that you have and what pass times you take up in your spare time as to whether you enjoy yourself more or less, but, for myself, I found Murcia to be really lively yet relaxing. Not an insanely big city, but definitely averagely sized. Let me explain in more detail. Unfortunately, I didn't go to a university there, so I cannot talk about the student lifestyle, although I can refer to what my friends from my home university have told me about university life in Murcia. Just like in Italy, the bureaucracy is not the fastest or the best, but don't worry because everything has a limit, so sooner or later everything will be resolved. But you do have to be patient! The people were okay, but many were disappointed with the Spaniards for not being as social as what people generally say. There are, however, many people from South America who are extremely people who are up for anything. You will always find somebody who will change your mind or opinions! But then people are all different, we are not all the same, so I would suggest that you don't take these comments at face-value and that you don't generalise.

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Work

I, instead, worked during my Erasmus period! A great experience. So I can therefore refer to my own experience. I worked in an environment that was fortunately full of students from all over the world and therefore it had a multicultural and relaxing atmosphere. And I could then practise using languages from all over the world with my work colleagues!

Accommodation

In regards to accommodation, I shared a house with some students, with three female students to be more specific: 2 of which were Italians, which was a shame because I wanted to practice my Spanish much more than I did but oh well. There was a Spanish girl, but it might have been better if she had not have been there. At least I was always able to speak Spanish with her, even if she unfortunately wasn't one of the best people that I have lived with in my life. But, again, I hope you have a different experience. Nevertheless, by going out during the evening/ at night it became obvious that there were many students and that Murcia is quite a lively city, so don't worry if you don't get on really well with the people you work with, go to university with or live with, because you will surely be able to meet other people that you can go out with and tour the city with!

It's all well and good going out, but how much does it cost to live?

Prices

Having, fortunately, lived for a short while all over the world, I have been able to see Switzerland, England, France and many other places, but these are the most expensive countries that I have travelled in. Unlike these countries Portugal and Italy are much cheaper countries to live in, but Spain is even cheaper! I swear! As soon as I arrived in Murcia I was gob-smacked by the cost of living there. It was so low! I still remember going to do some shopping, so I went to shop for some vegetables from the fruit stand where I paid €1. 50 for a bag of something. Of course, for a bag of fruit, not for meat or fish, but because of the quantity of it I still had to ask the shop assistant if they were 100% sure that I only had to pay €1. 50 for all that stuff! I was in shock, but at the same time I was so happy with the prices in the city of Murcia because I was able to live more relaxed and reasonably cheaply, without too many worries. So if you have a part-time job that doesn't pay too well, you don't have to worry because you will still be living like a king at the end of the month if you live in Murcia.

Where to live

I have to admit that the search for accommodation went smoothly for me, and maybe only for me or for isolated cases is it very quick, easy and simple!

I found accommodation through Facebook. It was one of the groups that pop up if you search "Murcia Erasmus", specifying the year of your Erasmus. I found it quite quickly, I even had to make a choice between three houses! Furthermore, many people find accommodation by searching through ErasmusU, where you can also find odd jobs for students. So don't worry too much about accommodation because, to me, it doesn't seem too difficult to find accommodation, obviously it is always better to begin looking before you come to Murcia and not at the last minute.

Food

I will talk about food now, being obsessed with food as I am, I have to admit that I found Spanish food, in particular the food from Murcia, to truly be very good!

And I say this, a Sicilian by origin, because it is true! Because, being Sicilian, I am known to be a good eater and I was very happy in Spain. In fact, I gained a bit of weight, so pay attention to your waistline. I'm not exaggerating. I liked to eat a little of everything when it came to Spanish food, which is why "tapas" was what I liked the most as it had a mix of things to 'picar as they say in Spain, which technically means 'to snack [on]', but it really means 'to tease' you! At lunchtime with the beating sun and a Martini and a "marinera"... I couldn't ask for anything better, even though I would still advise trying a typical tapas from the place and the "pastel di carne" (meat pie) that is a pie exclusive to Murcia.

Places to visit

In regards to the city, I would say that regardless of Murcia being a small city, it is still very lovely. If you like walking, it's perfect! Given that I love walking, I recommend leaving one morning and dedicating yourself to covering the city from top to bottom, or vice-versa. For example, I remember that on my first day I wanted to see a little of what the city was like, and so I left from Ronda Norte (where you can find cafes to have breakfast if you get up early in the morning) and I slowly went down Gran Vía (overflowing with shops) to Plaza Santo Domingo and then on to the cathedral, but I passed through all the alleys and streets that meet before arriving at the Cathedral. Then I continued on to the river. There were many parks, iron bridges and some statues to take photos of. On the way back I went a different way, that is to say that I came back from the Fama area, going back to the Cathedral where there is the Plaza de Toros, which nowadays is used as a nightclub, and there are parks and museums. So, if you want you could reverse the route I took and start from that area to visit the museums in the morning. However, you can do it all in a day if you don't stop at every museum. There are so many different places to stop and eat and enjoy the city and its fantastic climate.

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Where to go shopping

If you're hungry, the good news is that there will always be a café wherever you go. There was a particular café that I loved when I wanted to eat something sweet, because this bar sold doughnuts of all kinds and they were really good. It is located right between Ronda Norte and the Plaza Circular, and the doughnuts are good enough to faint over! There are bakeries that sell the meat pies or stands that sell " churros ", all for low prices. If, instead, you want something fresher, I would advise you to go to Plaza Santo Domingo and eat a "smuoy" or a "llallao", the latter of which I still have yet to try, but both are frozen yoghurts/ ice-creams that you can mix to eat with delicious sweets that I imagine everyone really likes, such as KitKat, Oreo, and white chocolate that turns yoghurt into something really yummy and good to eat. There are tapas bars all around where you can stop to try tapas from Murcia. There are sushi bars for sushi lovers or Italian pizzerias. There really is everything, depending on what you're looking for. I would do my food shopping in Mercadona and I thought it was really good, so I rarely ate out.

What to do in the evenings

And if you're instead wondering what the city holds for you in the evening, I'll tell you right away that you can do anything in the evening. I can only recommend places where I have already been to and, to this day, I must say that I found the places in Murcia to be really "pleasant". You can start in a pub for a beer in the centre or in a taperia, to then go from one place to another. There are many people hanging around the doors into the premises, so I advise you to go into those that most attract you from outside. I often went to Revolver because it often played rock music and the atmosphere was really cosy. Then I also spent a lot of time in Badulake. I didn't like the music there at all, but there were so many students and the bartenders were worth looking at ehehehe. In Revolver after 4am, that is to say at close, the entrances for R. E. M. are given out, so you enter for free after 4am! The place is pretty nice and big, and the music and people really vary. I liked it a lot; I would dance until seven o'clock in the morning. I went into Bizart and left straight away like a rocket because there was no space at all. A pity, because people seemed interesting to me. Here I think going in and trying all the bars and leaving if you don't like them is the best thing to do!

To conclude, I would advise everyone coming to arrive with a big smile on their face, because it really is worth living the life Murcia can offer you, with the sun on your face! Going out, visiting cultural sites, living, walking through the city, roller-skating (the people from Murcia skate a lot and I would suggest adding yourself to the group that skate in the squares during the evening), eating, meeting new people, learning about new cultures and learning to say "acho" (a call to friends for their attention etc. ) to blend into the Murcian culture more easily! Finally, go to the surrounding areas because they are interesting. And go to the sea because you absolutely have to! But, this is just what I am telling you to do! In Spain, you will know how to live your life. So, "andale" and enjoy yourself!

That is everything. Good luck, and aprovechéis (make the most of it). :D