{"id":4202,"date":"2019-10-22T13:23:46","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T13:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/?p=4202"},"modified":"2022-04-13T15:42:20","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T15:42:20","slug":"highs-and-lows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/highs-and-lows\/","title":{"rendered":"Highs and lows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One phrase that will always remind me of my dad is \u2018the\nhighs and lows\u2019. As a Liverpool football fan, after every depressing defeat he\nwould always say \u2018oh the highs and lows of football\u2019 but it is a phrase that can\nbe applied in almost any situation. While the stereotype of a forever partying\nErasmus student contains some truth, it is important to acknowledge that along\nwith the highs of studying abroad there are always going to be lows. I say this\nnot to put anyone off an Erasmus year, but to serve as a comfort to anyone who\nis struggling and thinking that they should be having fun all the time. Believe\nme, I have tried, and it is not possible! The important thing to remember is\nthat it is completely normal not to be enjoying your year abroad all the time,\nand to have days when you just want to be back at home on the sofa watching\nNetflix with your dog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some of the things I have struggled with whilst\nbeing in Granada:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Understanding the language (or lack of\nunderstanding in my case!)<ul><li>The location of Granada in Spain brings with it\nthe Andalusian accent, which is an accent where all words seem to morph into\nothers and all \u2018s\u2019s are made redundant. Therefore, this makes understanding\nwhat is going even more difficult! This lack of understanding can be really\nfrustrating, especially after a month when I had hoped to be completely fluent,\nwhich I now realise was a little unrealistic! However, I have grasped the idea\nthat it is okay not to understand everything and it is important to enjoy the\nlittle victories, like asking for directions and even better understanding the\nresponse! <\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Missing friends and family<ul><li>I get fomo when I miss just one night out, so it\nhas been hard being far away from everyone and seeing snapchats on Thursday\nmorning of the night before. It is so important to keep in contact with friends\nand family to prevent you from feeling isolated and completely cut off from\nthem. It is amazing what one facetime to my mum or a friend can make. I have\nalso sent postcards home just to make sure they don\u2019t forget about me! <\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Tiredness<ul><li>Tiredness is inevitable, especially in a country\nwhere they eat dinner at 10 and go out at 2am. One of the things I have loved\nabout my year abroad is how everyone is constantly doing things, so I have\nfound that I am rarely on my own. However, socialising can be tiring, so I have\nfound it so important to have lazy days every now and again just to catch up\nwith sleep and of course 30 episodes of The Office.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Admin<ul><li>The university here is organised completely\ndifferently to what I am used to in Cardiff. On my first introduction lecture\nwe were bombarded with information and things we had to do to enrol in classes.\nHere in Granada they give you the opportunity to try out modules before you\nstart to see what ones you would like to do, which is great until you finally\nchoose them and find out there is no space for you! So it hasn\u2019t been as easy\nas I naively thought it would be before I arrived. It is important to not to\npanic too much and just ask for help and talk to your friends who are going\nthrough the same thing.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So just remember that if you are stressed or finding things\ndifficult, don\u2019t think you are doing Erasmus wrong! Your year abroad is\nsupposed to challenge you and even though there are lows, it is a really great\nfeeling when you get through them. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One phrase that will always remind me of my dad is \u2018the highs and lows\u2019. As a Liverpool football fan, after every depressing defeat he would always say \u2018oh the [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":1703,"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":[440,42,241],"class_list":["post-4202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe","tag-advice","tag-erasmus","tag-granada"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4QQbz-15M","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1122,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/sun-sea-and-schedules\/","url_meta":{"origin":4202,"position":0},"title":"Sun, Sea and Schedules","author":"Chloe Walker","date":"September 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Today marks two weeks since my arrival in Valencia and I am only just getting around to writing this blog post. Valencia is a beautiful city of glorious sunshine, which has led to many days spent lounging on the beach and not a lot of productivity. The experience of arriving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;European Placements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"European Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/europe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_8538","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2016\/09\/IMG_8538-450x338.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4566,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/lucy-hilton\/","url_meta":{"origin":4202,"position":1},"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 &quot;European Placements&quot;","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":2244,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/lingomap-erasmus-over-what-next\/","url_meta":{"origin":4202,"position":2},"title":"Lingomap: Erasmus over&#8230;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 &quot;European Placements&quot;","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":389,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/hello-from-regensburg\/","url_meta":{"origin":4202,"position":3},"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 &quot;European Placements&quot;","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":4551,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/emily-rayner\/","url_meta":{"origin":4202,"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 &quot;European Placements&quot;","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":4024,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/things-to-remember-before-you-go-on-your-year-abroad\/","url_meta":{"origin":4202,"position":5},"title":"Things to remember before you go on your year abroad&#8230;","author":"Alice Clifford","date":"September 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Starting your year abroad is extremely daunting in many ways, therefore it is important to be prepared in order to make your move as easy as possible and allow yourself to fully enjoy this exciting experience without too much stress. After spending one week of my Erasmus study abroad in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;European Placements&quot;","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\/2019\/09\/FINAL.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\/2019\/09\/FINAL.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/09\/FINAL.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/09\/FINAL.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"meta_box":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4202","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\/1703"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4202"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4871,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4202\/revisions\/4871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}