![\"IMG-20170525-WA0019\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/05\/IMG-20170525-WA0019-450x338.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI can\u2019t believe how quickly my time here has gone! In 10 days, I will be back in the UK and my entire year abroad will be over! I have friends who have already gone home, and it\u2019s scary how fast my time here is ending! Of course, I\u2019m looking forward to seeing my family of course, but I know that I will miss my Erasmus friends so much! Counting down the days at university, I realise that I only have to go in for three more days! To sum it up I\u2019d say that it\u2019s been an \u201cexperience\u201d. This experience has been very different to my experience of university in the UK, and actually felt more like what my high school felt like.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
My last Portuguese language class was spent in the centre of Braga doing a cultural quiz<\/em><\/p>\n Firstly, I think that organisation in mainland Europe is quite different to UK organization. I was not prepared for this. Anyone who knows me will know that I am a very organised person, obsessed with lists and deadlines, so UMinho was a bit of a shock for me. We were given a very short amount of time to organise our modules (with which we were given no guidance, which was partly my UK university\u2019s fault and partly my Portuguese university\u2019s fault). In the end, I picked 5 subjects that weren\u2019t particularly suitable for me, and persevered, which is what year abroad is about. I had to try new things and this was definitely the way to broaden my understanding of the Portuguese language, culture and history.<\/p>\n Me and my friend from Cardiff university on a trip to Lisbon at Bel\u00e9m tower<\/em><\/p>\n The second thing that struck me when I got here was the fact that the lectures at university are quite different to how they are in the UK. For starters, in Portugal you can just get up and walk out halfway through a lecture (?!) without asking the teacher\u2019s permission. My friends assure me that this is because they are paying to be in the university, so surely they have the right to do that. But does this give them the right to talk through the lectures? I think this is a lack of respect, and it happens in all of my lectures, but most Portuguese students still think this isn\u2019t ok to do. Maybe it\u2019s just my course mates, I don\u2019t know, but it\u2019s something that over the past 4 months I haven\u2019t been able to get used to.<\/p>\n The majority of high school students finish their 12 years of free and compulsory education (starting from the age of 6, not 4 like in the UK) and then go on to university, as they just want to get a degree. This is understandable, because they have a wide range of courses for all areas of study, and the fees for university are much lower than what English students like me have to pay. I think that if university education were cheaper in the UK, a higher percentage of students would go to university. In addition to the fact that degrees are more affordable in Portugal, they have an excellent education system here; one of the best in Europe. This means that their students are well prepared for higher education, but it doesn\u2019t mean that university is any easier for them. Lots of people fail years at university and have to repeat. The proportion of those who pass in Portugal is lower than in the UK, and the same goes for in the high schools as well. Because education in Portugal is harder, it means that in the end, Portuguese students are much more prepared for the outside world than your average British student. I think though, from my experience, studying and working abroad whilst doing your degree in your home university, like I have done, can prepare you so much for everything, and really open your eyes to things that you wouldn\u2019t see otherwise.<\/p>\n At the university on my first day<\/em><\/p>\n At high school in Portugal, you don\u2019t have to choose options like we do with our GCSEs. Here, languages are obligatory all through the equivalent of high school, then many students study languages within their degrees as well. I think this is good, as it prepares students for later life and gives them more employability skills. In fact, if you don\u2019t know another language, it is really a disadvantage. I think this is good, and hope that the British system changes so that all students all over the country have to study a language until the age of 18, because it makes you more culturally aware and is an excellent skill to include on your CV.<\/p>\n Like in the UK, there are state and private schools here in Portugal, but state schools here can\u2019t be religious. Because of the secularisation of church and state, you can\u2019t have a public school that is religious, which is not the case in the UK. Here some universities are catholic, and the catholic universities, although they are private, are some of the best in the country. Other than this though, the best education is received through state schools, and people who attend private universities are disregarded slightly when it comes to applying for a job.<\/p>\n On the other hand, universities are different in the UK and in Portugal because the vast majority of students tend to stay in their hometowns and not travel in order to go to a better university or live away from their parents. This means that all of my classmates are from in and around Braga or Guimar\u00e3es (the city where my university has another campus), and many people end up going to university with people from their high schools, something that is alien to me \u2013 a girl who studies an 8 hour megabus journey away from where I grew up.<\/p>\n Considering that university is harder in Portugal and that many Portuguese students don\u2019t pass their exams, I got a bit scared when it came to my first exam. We all sat down in the classroom, ready for a 2-hour long exam that I guess could have been on philosophy (?), and I was the last one to leave. Some of the students left after 20 minutes, and I knew that they couldn\u2019t have passed it. When I left the classroom I felt ok, like I didn\u2019t think that I had failed, which is something at least. In Portugal, grades go from 0-20, and a pass mark is 9.5, so that was all I was hoping for (considering that philosophy is not my area of expertise by any stretch of the imagination). However, last week when I got the results back I was delighted to see that I had got a 14, the highest mark in the class! The next day I had another exam, and I\u2019m still waiting for the results for that, but hopefully I will have done well in that too! Next week I have an exam and a presentation, and the nerves are definitely kicking in, especially because I need to find time to balance seeing my friends, organizing stuff for my departure, visiting as many places as I can and revising for my exams! I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be able to manage it though!<\/p>\n Visiting Lisbon for the weekend<\/em><\/p>\n Now it\u2019s definitely time for me to continue reading up on the first Portuguese constitution, so I must go!<\/p>\n At\u00e9 a pr\u00f3xima!<\/em><\/p>\n Molly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I can\u2019t believe how quickly my time here has gone! In 10 days, I will be back in the UK and my entire year abroad will be over! I have […]","protected":false},"author":1134,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[268],"tags":[249,90],"class_list":["post-2186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe","tag-europe","tag-studying"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4QQbz-zg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3461,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/if-you-are-thinking-of-studying-abroad-do-it-daisy-from-sfsu-on-studying-at-cardiff-university\/","url_meta":{"origin":2186,"position":0},"title":"“If you are thinking of studying abroad, DO IT!” – Daisy from SFSU on studying at Cardiff University","author":"Global Opportunities Globetrotters","date":"July 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"My desire to travel brought me to studying abroad. I\u2019ve traveled a lot around the U.S. and wanted to see the rest of the world. My home university\u2019s study abroad advisor suggested going to Cardiff, as it was a school with a great reputation and matched what I was looking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Incoming Students at Cardiff"","block_context":{"text":"Incoming Students at Cardiff","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/incoming-students-at-cardiff\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2018\/07\/17800259_1434797749926327_5181463859468819418_n-338x450.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":389,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/hello-from-regensburg\/","url_meta":{"origin":2186,"position":1},"title":"Hello from Regensburg","author":"Mark Sweeney","date":"August 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Hey! I\u2019m Mark, a third year Pharmacy student here at Cardiff. My Erasmus adventure began one cold October morning, when Heledd, from the Global Opportunities Centre, came in to give a talk on the Erasmus programme. The programme allows students to spend time studying or working abroad, though Cardiff University.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "European Placements"","block_context":{"text":"European Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/europe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2015\/08\/IMG_7061-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2015\/08\/IMG_7061-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2015\/08\/IMG_7061-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2015\/08\/IMG_7061-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2015\/08\/IMG_7061-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2015\/08\/IMG_7061-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":103,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/summer-school-at-xiamen-university\/","url_meta":{"origin":2186,"position":2},"title":"Summer School at Xiamen University","author":"Lowri Allen","date":"August 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Spending my summer studying in China has been a fantastic opportunity, the China university experience is very different to that of the UK but is equally enjoyable.\u00a0 My course at Xiamen University, in the Fujian province of South East China, focused on learning Mandarin with classes on the Chinese economy,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Summer Programmes"","block_context":{"text":"International Summer Programmes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/summer-programmes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2014\/08\/Xiamen2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4714,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/a-year-abroad-and-mental-health\/","url_meta":{"origin":2186,"position":3},"title":"A Year Abroad And… Mental Health","author":"Niamh O'Reilly","date":"March 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog is going to be the first in a weekly series. Each week I will write about topics that nearly stopped me going on my year abroad and how they have shaped my experience for the better or the worse. I knew before I came to Canada that I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Placements"","block_context":{"text":"International Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/international-exchange\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/03\/Boat.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/03\/Boat.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/03\/Boat.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/03\/Boat.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/03\/Boat.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1645,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/lingomap-self-and-relationships\/","url_meta":{"origin":2186,"position":4},"title":"LingoMap: Self and Relationships","author":"Liam Barrett","date":"January 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bonjour tout le monde! (Or, hello everyone!) This is my first submission for the Routes into Languages LingoMap Blog. Before I catch my very early train back to Brussels tomorrow, to start the dreaded \u201cBlocus\u201d (the Belgian-French word for the exam period) on 2nd January, I thought I\u2019d get started\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "European Placements"","block_context":{"text":"European Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/europe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/01\/IMG_0230.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/01\/IMG_0230.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/01\/IMG_0230.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/01\/IMG_0230.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/01\/IMG_0230.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/01\/IMG_0230.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":160,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/the-city-of-leuven-how-did-it-plan-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":2186,"position":5},"title":"The city of Leuven – how did it ‘plan’ out?","author":"Wendy Maden","date":"August 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Wendy Maden, final year student on the BSc City and Regional Planning, reflects on her experience of studying abroad through the Erasmus programme Wendy, third from the right, pictured in Leuven with friends made while on the Erasmus programme. Wendy stated: \"This photo summarises Erasmus quite well: Swedish, Italian, German,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "European Placements"","block_context":{"text":"European Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/europe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wendy Maden Erasmus","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2014\/08\/Wendy-Maden-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"meta_box":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1134"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2186"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2194,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186\/revisions\/2194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"20170526_165735\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/05\/20170526_165735-450x253.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"IMG_7991\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/05\/IMG_7991-1-450x338.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"IMG_20170527_210307_128\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/05\/IMG_20170527_210307_128-1-450x253.jpg\")
<\/p>\n