Completing a year abroad can be a daunting experience, especially the preparation months waiting anxiously wondering how it will be. Hopefully my journal can help give a bit of insight into how I managed to make the most of my year abroad, and how you can avoid making any mistakes I made.

Visa:

Try and arrange your VISA as early as you can do. There are quite a few documents you need to collate and have perfect before you will be given your VISA to Spain. Check online at the consulates website what is necessary as the documents change depending on how long you need your visa for. It is important to get an early appointment to give yourself time to change any documentation you have. This can take away the pressure from any last minute stress getting a VISA may cause you. Also, it is important to note that with majority of the consulates, they will ask to keep your passport to print your visa into it; try to avoid booking any holidays for a few weeks after your appointment!!

Accommodation:

Barcelona is a lovely, vibrant city which has beautiful views and accommodation, HOWEVER, there are definitely areas of Barcelona I would avoid living in. Regions like ‘El Raval’ or ‘Gothic Quarter’ tend to be a lot busier and cheaper but I would evade finding a flat and instead look at areas such as ‘Gracía’ and ‘Eixample’ when finding somewhere to live! There are helpful websites to use to find accommodation such as Idealista and Spotahome. It can also be helpful to join groups on platforms like Facebook for international students living in Barcelona and find a shared flat instead as this can reduce costs.

Academic Challenges:

The academic workload is different at UIC, with classes tending to be 2 hours long and having a break-mid class rather than having 1 hour lectures, like at Lancaster. When you first start studying these classes, there will be a lot of the work you may struggle to understand and the fast pace may be confusing, but having good communication with your classmates and teachers can be super beneficial to make sure you don’t miss anything. I promise it does get easier by the end of the year!!

Travelling:

One of the most important things is that you actually DO explore Barcelona as well as travelling to other places in Spain and with neighbouring countries! If you can try and save up a bit of money the summer before your IPY, it will be so beneficial to make travelling more accessible. Whilst in Barcelona, I travelled to Madrid, Almeria and Montpellier, as well as other places. Being able to get on a bus through the border to France, or the train to Madrid and back in a day is super accessible and such a good opportunity!

Have fun:

Whilst you are living in Spain, there will be many moments of homesickness or feelings of loneliness, but I promise this will be one of the best experiences of your life! Try to immerse yourself and enjoy your IPY the best you can, making the most of it! And, don’t forget to take lots of photos!! The start of the year may feel like forever, but by the end it will have passed by so quickly!

When I first started my year abroad I was extremely hesitant but looking back I really had a phenomenal time!!

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