Thinking of moving to Spain? Do it

Travelling and experiencing new cultures has always been a dream of mine. I enrolled at Aston University, Birmingham, UK on an International Business and Management course. It was perfect! I was able to combine my academic abilities with a lifelong ambition of mine. My third year is currently placement year, and doing an International course, it was compulsory for me to leave the UK and start my 6 month adventure in a new place… and that’s where my journey of creating lifelong memories and friends began.

Why Valencia?

After searching through several placements all over Europe, I started researching what each country had to offer. I began choosing based on country, not city. I started limiting my options and made a list of pros and cons of each country that I was interested in. Spain became a strong leader due to its amazing weather, beaches and culture!

I wanted to experience a real-life experience in the country I was moving to, and began steering away from any tourist locations or places I had visited on Holiday. After taking several searches on google maps and analysing the different Cities, I took a liking to Valencia. The location? Perfect. The beaches? Perfect. The cultural aspect? Perfect! I had never been before, or knew anyone who had visited previously. This was the perfect opportunity for me to grasp with both hands, and begin my ultimate adventure.

Struggles with leaving home?

The months before packing my things and catching that flight to Valencia were a breeze! I hadn’t really had the time to absorb the knowledge that England would soon become my second home and living in Spain was about to change my life forever.

However, the day before leaving was the hardest for me. No one wants to say goodbye to their family at the airport; not knowing when you will be back home again. Tears, smiles and lots of hugs. It sort of felt like an emotional scene in a movie! My main tip to overcome any struggles is to always stay busy in the first few daysand weeks of arriving in your new city.

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I can only describe the first few weeks as an emotional rollercoaster. If you can imagine the craziest ride at a theme park with numerous twists, turns and drops, that's how you can expect to feel - but it's okay, you just have to ride it out! There were certainly days I struggled and just wanted to sit back on my sofa at home with a nice cuppa watching ‘The Kardashians’ with my sister.

But there were also days I would look out to my Valencian view and think “Wow, I really am living in this beautiful place”. The second I began to meet some people, the second I began to really fit in. Meeting other Erasmus students, similar ages to me, who were going through similar experiences really made me feel I was not alone. We were all in this together; maximising each others experiences and having the time of our lives.

But how did you meet other people?

Before moving to Valencia, this was the main part that totally freaked me out. How do people just meet random people who might become friends for life? Do I have to go online? Are there certain places to meet people that I am yet to discover? All of these questions immediately flooded into my head. The answer? Get involved. On my first day I was introduced to my Bulgarian flatmate, who had already been living there for 4 months so she was a great tour guide in my first week! I met similar, like-minded people through Erasmus events. You can find these on facebook groups or eramusvalencia.com . Websites like these are perfect to find an erasmus community as they post new events daily. These can range from weekend visits away or even night-time events and gatherings.

I found one of interest to me. It was a salsa lesson every Wednesday with an Erasmus group that included a language exchange too! It was the perfect chance to learn the cultural dances of Spain, whilst meeting other Erasmus students and brushing up on my language skills! The same Erasmus group also organised ‘beer pong’ on Monday’s. This was always at the same location but each week was filled with new arrivals so was a great place to meet new people!