{"id":2244,"date":"2017-06-25T15:45:08","date_gmt":"2017-06-25T15:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/?p=2244"},"modified":"2022-04-13T15:42:49","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T15:42:49","slug":"lingomap-erasmus-over-what-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/lingomap-erasmus-over-what-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Lingomap: Erasmus over…What next?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hola a todos!<\/h1>\n

Wow, so we\u2019ve come to my last blog!<\/p>\n

My year abroad is over and I could not be sadder, I have had such great time both in Toulouse and Granada, I have gained amazing friends (whom I cannot wait to visit already), I\u2019ve seen amazing places and have had an incredible experience \u201cerasmusing\u201d.<\/p>\n

But I guess, all good things must come to an end, which means I need to start thinking about what\u2019s next for me\u2026which is rather scary, as my final year of university is fast approaching.<\/p>\n

After having returned home, and reflecting on my experience, not only have I learnt a lot about myself but I have gained and improved skills on my year abroad.On my Erasmus, I\u2019ve met people from all walks of life and from many different countries, which has allowed me to become more open-minded and learn about different countries and nationalities. Also, by living with Spanish, Chilean, French, and German people throughout my year abroad I had to immerse myself in the cultures of both countries but also adapt to many other cultures, which is a skill that I am very grateful for and that is valued by employers.<\/p>\n

Confidence. I\u2019ve gained confidence on myself but also on my language skills. After having to deal with French bureaucracy and Spanish landlords\u2026 I\u2019m no longer scared of making mistakes, I just want to get my message across in the target language. It\u2019s all about stepping out of that comfort zone, talking as much as you can in the language and learning as you go along. Also, the locals really appreciate us making the effort to speak their language and most of the French and Spanish people I met were always willing to help me improve my language skills, and I have gained expressions and vocabulary that I would never have learnt from a textbook.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, year abroad over and what now?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m home now, which feels strange to come back to my little welsh town after having lived in two of my new favourite cities the past 10 months, I miss the people, their accents, cheap prices for food and drinks, and the beauty of both cities. However, it is nice to\u00a0eat my mum\u2019s food, not having to cook for myself and being able to spend time with my family.<\/p>\n

But, I do keep finding myself googling flights back to Granada, Toulouse, and to visit friends I have made. This summer, in exactly 10 days I\u2019m returning to Toulouse to au pair for a month which means I get to live with a French family, look after their children, learn more about their culture, show them mine and practice French 24\/7. Then, I plan to visit some of my French friends in Brittany, Lille and some of my friends in Germany, this is a perk of Erasmus: making friends from everywhere. Since being home I have spent so much time face-timing my friends from abroad and cannot wait to be reunited with them.<\/p>\n

Here are some of my favourite moments from this last semester in Granada:<\/p>\n