Hola a todos! I am sorry, i didn t post anything last week because i was in exams…

This will be my last article as I already finished my last test yesterday. I would like to make a quick summary about my Erasmus experience in Spain.

When I arrived in Madrid I was excited but also very nervous. I had a lot of questions in my mind: how will I find a flat, make friends, understand lessons…

In the first month it was all about organization and installation. My first flat was good, but I didn’t like so much live with just one guy so after two weeks I moved into another one much more better and very well located! During the first classes it was hard to stay focused during 2 hours because of the language. But after a while I got used to listen to the teachers and really enjoyed all the lessons that I had. Very quickly I made a lot of friends, not only Spanish but from all part of the world: Mexico, Portugal, Germany, Poland,…

In the following months I visited a lot of places and cities (Segovia, Zaragoza, Valencia, Escorial, Porto in Portugal). I also enjoyed parties and Erasmus events where I met a lot of people. And of course I got to know Madrid! It’s an amazing capital… Even in four months here it was not enough to discover it fully.

In the last month, I focused myself on studies. I changed my way to work and passed a lot of time in the library. Lessons in Spain are relatively simple but it’s not as easy as it looks for exams. Even if I had just six subjects it took me a lot to learn them.

The think that I liked the most was to meet people from everywhere. I already know that i will visit some of them in their country and that i will return in Madrid. I loved the fact that I was able to speak both in English and in Spanish. This was the most rewarding part of my trip. I improved my understanding and i m not shy anymore to speak in another language.

I am very sad to be obliged to come back so soon! I would like to have stayed here one semester more. But as all Erasmus people said we have to return to “real life” one day or another…

Even if my courses in the university are over I will stay here until the beginning of lessons in France. I am going to pass Christmas and New Year with my friends and enjoy fully my last days in Madrid.

I hope that you have appreciated my posts! But above all I hope that they made you want to go to study abroad.

Good bye 

nmanceau

Hi everybody! Erasmus life is not only about studying but also discovering new areas. Many students take this opportunity to visit the main cities of the country.

For my part I decided to go to Valencia it’s only at 3 hours by car from Madrid. I took a Blablacar with my flatmate. It’s a really good way to make enriching meetings and it’s really cheap! I went at the end of September and temperatures were still very high (30 degrees).

We stayed 2 days and as my sister was studying in Valencia we slept in her shareflat with 3 others girls from Germany, Czech Republic and Spain. Valencia is fantastic for nights out. So on Friday night we went to the Umbracle, it’s a huge nightclub completely open to the outside.

Umbracle

The Saturday we decided to take the bus to go to Gandia (at 1 hour).There, was organized a pool party for Erasmus people. It was really hot and the place was amazing with a big pool and a lot of palm trees. We had a great time.

On Sunday we visited the city center of Valencia and the City of Arts and Sciences. It’s a scientific and cultural leisure complex designed by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava. The Umbracle building is part of it.

City of Arts and Sciences

During the afternoon we enjoyed the beach and ate Paella. It’s the typical meal of Valencia.

Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to see the Oceanogràfic. It’s the largest aquarium in Europe. It houses 45000 animals of 500 different species!

I really enjoyed this trip because we met new people and discovered a new town which is the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona.

Have a good week!

nmanceau

It has already been 3 months since I started lessons in Madrid. I got to know my university, that’s why today I will tell you more about campus life in Rey Juan Carlos.

Campus of Vicálvaro

Library “Miguel de Cervantes” in Vicálvaro

University of Rey Juan Carlos is the second biggest university in Madrid with almost 40 000 students. It gathers 5 campuses located in Madrid (Vicálvaro), Aranjuez (only for summer courses), Alcorcón, Fuenlabrada and Mostóles. It is a public research university created in 1996.

I am currently studying in Vicálvaro’s university in the southeast of Madrid. It is the seat of the Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences since 1998. This campus welcomes a lot of Erasmus students. It is not that big that is why it’s easy to find your way. Moreover classes take place most of the time in the same classroom so there are no reasons becoming nervous.

The quality of its infrastructure facilities is satisfactory compared to others campus in Madrid. There is a huge and modern library open from 9 am to 8.30 pm where most of students get used to work. It also includes numerous study rooms for group work. Concerning the catering, the campus has a cafeteria and a restaurant. Around the school you can find a university residence, a small shopping mall and a Burger King.  As I already told you in one of my previous article, Vicálvaro’s Campus is a bit far from the center (about 45 minutes by metro). Still, I advise you to find an accommodation in the center because the majority of Erasmus students live in share flats in city center and it’s the best way to discover the “real Madrid”.

Concerning education, teachers are not very demanding for homework. The majority of them organize only one mid-term exam. But, it is required to provide a constant work to pass the final tests because there is no free week before the test week.

If you want more information about the school and the degrees, I join the link for URJC: www.urjc.es

Have a good week!

nmanceau

Over 25% of Spaniards uses other languages other than Spanish as their mother tongue! In fact, besides the main language, Spanish or Castellano, there are a series of dialects and languages spoken in various corners of the country, out of which three are considered official languages. These are an important part of the Spanish cultural patrimony.

Spanish or Castilian

Castilian language is official throughout the country and is one of the most spoken languages in the world. Besides Spain, it is also used in Gibraltar, Andorra, Latin America and North America. The Spanish language as compared to other European languages is relatively easy to learn, especially for English native speakers.

Catalan

Almost 4 million people speak Catalan as their first language. This major language is spoken by in the Catalonia region, Arragon and Balearic islands of Spain, as well as parts of Andorra, France and Italy. If you speak Spanish, it is not difficult to understand Catalan. A mix between French and Spanish, Catalan is quite an interesting language to learn and use.

Today, it is the second most spoken language in Spain, next to Castilian.

Galician

Galician is spoken mainly in Galicia, as well as Asturias and Castilla y Leon in Northern Spain. Out of the 4 million people who speak Galician, 3 million are in Spain, with the rest in Portugal and parts of Latin America. Resembling Portugese, Galician is similar in terms of pronunciation and usage.

Basque language or Eureska

Spoken by 600,000 people in the Basque Country, Northern Spain, Euskara or Basque is an intriguing language that does not belong to any group of languages.

Basque is distinctive with verbs and phrases of its own. Even Spaniards from other regions of Spain cannot understand the language.

In Madrid, there is no dialect, people speak only Castilian. If you are planning to go to Valencia, Barcelona or north of Spain people will be able to speak Spanish. So don’t worry!

See you next weeeeek

nmanceau

The cost of living in Spain is well below the European average, particularly outside of Madrid and Barcelona. Currently the minimum monthly salary for full time employment is around 750euros! And the current mean average salary in Spain is around 2500 euros a month.

Concerning employment contracts in Spain, there are similar to those in France. The most common are:

• Permanent contracts: no predetermined termination date, employees have considerably more security with this type of contract.
• Short term or temporary contracts: the duration of employment is specified (no longer than 3 years); this applies to those employed for contracted work or those brought in to cover maternity leave.

Within Spanish law it is stated that the maximum number of hours an employee is allowed to work must not exceed an average of 40 hours per week. Actual working hours cannot exceed 9 per day and for employees under the age of 18, this is reduced to 8 hours per day.

Spanish siestas

Traditionally, a Spanish working day has been divided into two parts, the morning from 10am to 2pm and then 4pm to 7pm. However, office hours in Spain are increasingly becoming more like those found in most other countries; with businesses operating between 9am and 4pm and long lunches and siestas becoming more and more uncommon.

Legally speaking, an employee can only work a maximum of 80 hours of overtime during the course of a year.

Employees are entitled to a minimum of 30 days of paid vacation per year. This can be improved by contract or collective agreement. In addition, there are 14 public nonworking days per year, which may differ slightly by region.

There is an important fact to keep in mind when talking about work conditions in Spain. The stereotype often involves starting work late, taking two-hour-long lunches and having an afternoon siesta, but Spaniards actually work some of the longest and most inflexible hours in Europe. Today over 60 percent of them believe that this way of working has a negative impact on their family lives.

See you next week!

nmanceau

Hi everyone! Today I want to dedicate my post on one of the major food tradition in Spain: TAPAS!

In fact, tapas originated in Spain, where according to legend (there are many), King Alfonso 10th, The Wise King of Spain, had once been stricken with a serious illness which only allowed him to take in small portions of food with small amounts of wine. After recovering from his illness, the king issued a decree that no wine should be served in bars unless it was served with food.

Tapas are small plates of food to be consumed with wine or other alcohol at a drinking establishment. There are no tapas restaurants, only tapas bars! Tapas can be any type of food, from nuts, olives, and assorted cheeses to roasted meats and stews. The most important thing about “tapeo” (the art of eating tapas) is the gathering of people to socialize as they drink and eat.

You will also find that tapas follow the gastronomic tastes and traditions of each region in Spain, but that types of olives, nuts, meats and cheeses are universal to all areas.

• Here it’s the top 5 traditional Spanish tapas:
  

  Tortilla de patatas. Omelette with fried chunks of potatoes.

   

  

  Gambas al ajillo. Sauteed prawns with garlic.

  

  Pulpo a la gallega. Galician-style octopus served in olive oil, lots of paprika, and sea salt.

  

  Croquetas. One of the most common tapas, you can try the croquetas de espinacas y queso made with spinach and cheese

  

  Aceitunas. Campo Real olives (name of the olive of Madrid) or the big ones filled with anchovies.

   

In Madrid and some others places in Andalousia, when you order a drink, often a tapa will be served with it for free. In several cities, entire zones are dedicated to tapas bars, each one serving its own unique dish.

Cerveceria 100 montaditos bar

I have already test a lot of different tapas bars. It’s a good way to meet and speak with your friends at the end of the day and most of them are really cheap!

I can recommend you one very popular: Cervecería 100 Montaditos. It’s a bar chain which counts 350 restaurants in Spain. Its success it’s based on the friendly atmosphere and the menu. In fact, each tapas never costs more than 5 euros and every Wednesday and Sunday all the menu it’s at only 1 euro!

I hope that I did not give you too much hunger! 😉 Have a good week!

nmanceau

In this post, I would like to give you an idea of what Erasmus life in Madrid is, concerning housing, lessons and living.

• Housing

When I arrived in Madrid, I had only an accommodation for some days in order to find a share flat. I thought it will be easy to find one in the center but I quickly realized that as in all capitals, housing is more than complicated. Vicalvaro campus is far from downtown (about 45 min by subway), but i decided to search in town center. 90% of Erasmus students make that choice because they want to get the best out of the city: visits, shopping, parties… and want to test share flat lifestyle.

So, after a week of hard searchs and disappointment, I moved in a share flat with another Spanish man of 46 years old. Fortunately, I found a better flat with two others Erasmus students two weeks after. Housing prices are higher than in the rest of Spain, they are a bit more expensive than in Nantes for example. It is usual to find small bedrooms without any windows like in Paris. But don’t be afraid, you can also find wonderful apartments!

• Courses

Academic Library of Rey Juan Carlos

Concerning lessons, classes at Vicalvaro start at 8 AM and end at 9 PM. Student have an average of 20 hours per week. In my case, I just have courses in the morning! Campus of Rey Juan Carlos is one of the few universities offering English courses. Many foreign people make the choice of studying in English in Spain because they can easily follow courses and at the same time discover another language and culture.

Courses are done in classrooms of 50 students maximum with fifty-fifty of Erasmus and Spanish people. In Spain, the bachelor degree counts 4 years and the master degree is achieved in 1 year. For Erasmus students it is common to choose subjects of different grades.

• Student life

Activities schedule of City Life Madrid for September and October

In Madrid there’s no time to get bored! There are a lot of organizations which help young international people to settle and enjoy their stay in Spain. City Life Madrid, Madlife Madrid, Smart Insiders and so on… they provide advices and help to find flat, Spanish SIM card, public transportation card and much more. They organize many trips in all Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, Ibiza, Sevilla…) but also abroad like in Morocco or in Portugal!

Example of a Pubcrawl on Facebook

During the week many social and cultural activities are proposed: flamenco shows, wine tasting, cooking class, karaoke nights,… and of course numerous parties.

In general, parties and trips are cheap because they want to be affordable for all. For example, in Madrid you can go out with 10 euros and have free entrances and free drinks in several clubs the same night. This is called a “Pubcrawl”.

The most known organization is Erasmus Student Network (ESN). It is used by over 120 000 people per year in 37 countries. It provides thousands of events and discounts (for example, for sport, food, aircraft tickets).

In Spain, everything is done to make your stay the better experience of your life. I’m already in Spain for 1 month and feel like at home.

See you soon!

nmanceau