So you’ve decided you want to go on an Erasmus year abroad (and also decided that my intro was cliche, don’t worry I’m not that impressed either) and you’ve done all your necessary paperwork and forms etc. that you’re sat wondering OK but… what now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
First things first: accommodation, a lot of people recommend and actually will just wait until arrival to find a place. This can work out for the most part but trust me on this because one of my friends here did that and it is a difficult situation for her right now! There are honestly so many sites to use, helloflatmate, erasmusu, uniplaces and finally the one I used, beroomers. All of them are on the same par and will often charge first months rent plus some admin\/agency fees. If this isn’t your vibe perhaps it’s worth booking a trip in summer that can double as a holiday\/get to know your new home destination for a few days. It also gives you time to book in a bunch of viewings for flats you’re interested in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you’ve done that, start listing what you need to take. Don’t ignore this step unless you’re a minimalist who has like five clothing items in their wardrobe and one pair of shoes. It took me forever to decide what I needed to take, what would be appropriate and also factoring some other must take items like makeup, specific toiletries, my whole ass smoothie maker (who doesn’t love a nice smoothie in the Spanish heat?). I weighed my cases god knows how many times and even then once I was at the airport checking in the two bigger suitcases, one was only 0.4kg underweight. Just list what essential clothes you’ll need (probably 2 of each in terms of just plain t-shirts and jeans etc) then choose some fancy stuff for nights out or more formal occasions. If you’re like me and have five trillion pairs of shoes, try your hardest to just narrow it down, if I managed to, so can you! GIRLS, don’t bother bringing heels unless you have magic feet, I have one pair with me just in case, but the reality is I will NEVER wear them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So by now, you’ve packed and unpacked and repacked again then rearranged and weighed yadda yadda… now it’s a waiting game. Personally, I just tried to enjoy time with my mum or family at home as much as possible since I was going to be in a completely different country for 9 months! We went on some short breaks to family favourite destinations, did a mini road trip to places we’d never been or seen properly before and I even got my ears pierced for the first time (21 years I was somehow scared it would hurt, needless to say it did NOT). However, whenever I found myself anxious about the coming year, being lonely and whatnot, I just reminded myself that the year is only going to be what you make it. I did also look up various things about the city, spots to visit, best food places and of course… the best nightclubs too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post, trust me there are more interesting things coming soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See you for now!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So you've decided you want to go on an Erasmus year abroad (and also decided that my intro was cliche, don't worry I'm not that impressed either) and you've done […]","protected":false},"author":1729,"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":[42,213],"class_list":["post-3866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe","tag-erasmus","tag-yearabroad"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4QQbz-10m","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4566,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/lucy-hilton\/","url_meta":{"origin":3866,"position":0},"title":"Lucy Hilton","author":"GO Student Ambassadors","date":"January 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"School of Modern Languages Erasmus+ study and traineeship placements Where did you go? I spent one semester in Austria, as a language teaching assistant through the British Council and I spent the 2nd semester studying in Italy. What were your top three highlights from your year abroad? Travelling! My year\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\/2020\/01\/Photo2-1-150x150.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\/01\/Photo2-1-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/01\/Photo2-1-150x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/01\/Photo2-1-150x150.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/01\/Photo2-1-150x150.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":389,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/hello-from-regensburg\/","url_meta":{"origin":3866,"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":4445,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/finding-accommodation-after-spending-a-semester-abroad\/","url_meta":{"origin":3866,"position":2},"title":"Finding accommodation after spending a semester abroad","author":"Tammy-Louise Wilkins","date":"January 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"When I first spoke about finding accommodation, I stated that I would not be paying for a property at my home institution due to the additional cost of accommodation and living in Norway. For this reason, I spent the first three months of my semester abroad searching for a short\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\/2020\/01\/Oslo-Blog-1.png?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\/01\/Oslo-Blog-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/01\/Oslo-Blog-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2244,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/lingomap-erasmus-over-what-next\/","url_meta":{"origin":3866,"position":3},"title":"Lingomap: Erasmus over…What next?","author":"Melissa Tavares","date":"June 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hola a todos! Wow, so we\u2019ve come to my last blog! 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\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\/06\/19441845_1883760528502587_127669481800644521_o-450x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4551,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/emily-rayner\/","url_meta":{"origin":3866,"position":4},"title":"Emily Rayner","author":"GO Student Ambassadors","date":"January 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"School of Healthcare Sciences Erasmus+ traineeship placement Where did you go? I completed a work traineeship at Gothenburg University What motivated you to take up a Global Opportunity? I have always been interested in studying and working abroad and this was my opportunity to do so. I was also motivated\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\/2020\/01\/Photo2.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\/01\/Photo2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/01\/Photo2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2020\/01\/Photo2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":160,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/the-city-of-leuven-how-did-it-plan-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":3866,"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\/3866","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\/1729"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3866"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3867,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3866\/revisions\/3867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}