EXPERIENCE REPORT Simone van den Hurk s.m.w.vdnhurk@tilburguniversity.edu Psychology Spring semester 4th bachelor year Universidad Deusto – Bilbao campus Spain For once, I would like to start with a conclusion. These past 5,5 months have been absolutely amazing. It was everything I hoped for and even more and it changed me in a positive way. Before my departure to Bilbao in Spain I felt scared and insecure and I had no idea what I was doing, but I am happy I still did it, because now I can look back on a wonderful time that is valuable for my further career and life. I General information about the school The city I went to Universidad Deusto in Bilbao. Bilbao is a beautiful city, situated in the Basque Country in the north of Spain. It is not too small and not too big, and has everything you need to have fun. The city is a mixture of old and modern buildings and it surrounded by mountains. The highlights for me are Casco Viejo (the old town), the Guggenheim Museum, and the walk alongside the river. There are a lot of bars where you can have a drink with a pintxo (a small bite), clubs where you can go out and nice restaurants. It is also perfect to go shopping, because there are many shops. In summer you can easily go to the beach by metro, it takes about 20-30 minutes. Unfortunately the weather is not always great to do this, it rains very often. But in May and June I also experienced some hot days, so it can be both. Before I applied for going on exchange I had never heard of this city, but it surprised me in a very positive way. I enjoyed living in this city so much. It is not too crowded, but there is always something going on and the people are very kind. The university The university is situated close to the new city centre. Overall I am very positive about this university and the education. The university is much smaller than Tilburg University, but the two buildings are incredibly beautiful. It reminded me of a monastery and is divided in two cloisters. There are even palm trees in those cloisters! When the weather was nice, I liked to sit outside on the grass between the trees and roses, looking over the river. Both buildings have a nice cafeteria where you can have a coffee or buy a sandwich. Because it is a Jesuit university, there are catholic paintings and statues in the main areas and a crucifix in every classroom. This was very different than Tilburg. The four important things for this university are faith, sports, culture and solidarity. You can join many activities in this four areas. For example my roommate joined the theatre group and they performed at the end of the semester. On the other side of the river was the library. This was a very modern building with computers, books, working rooms and many tables where you could study. There was also a big cafeteria. I went to the library to study very often, because it is a nice place, usually quiet too, and only accessible for Deusto students. The classes were also smaller than at Tilburg University. The largest group I had class with contained about seventy students, while in Tilburg I am used to classes of hundreds of students. The classes are also different. In Tilburg I am used to listen all the time and in the end take the exam and that is it. But in Bilbao I had to make exercises during class, hand in many essays and take an exam in the end. I was very busy, but I also feel I learnt a lot there. II Practical information Information/housing before departure Before my departure I received information from Deusto in October. It was all very clear and contained information about what I had to fill in/hand in, when the semester would begin and how I could arrange housing. There were three options for housing: a host family, the residence hall or in a student flat. I chose a student flat and the university sent me a list with apartments. I had to choose five and then they would place me in one of those. When I got a message from the landlord about the apartment I chose, it turned out that I would have to stay in a hotel the first week after my arrival, because the room would not be ready yet. I did not feel comfortable with that, so I sent an email to the university with the question if they had any apartments where I could directly move into after my arrival in Bilbao. They were very helpful and sent me six apartments where I could move into directly and I could choose one. In the end this turned out to be an amazing apartment where I have been living happily with three guys the past months. When I chose this apartment, I got in contact through email with my landlady. We made arrangements when I would arrive. She did not speak any English, so I had to write her in Spanish, which was hard, but good for my practice. I booked a flight with the other Tilburg University student that was going to Bilbao. We took a taxi from the airport that brought us directly to our flats. Unfortunately my landlady could not be there to meet me, but luckily my roommate was home so he could let me in and give me my keys. It was weird to come home in a new place where I would be staying for the next months, but I immediately felt welcome and my apartment was great with an amazing view over the city and the Guggenheim Museum. The start Two weeks before the semester started, the university offered an intensive Spanish language course for exchange students. I subscribed for this, because I wanted to improve my Spanish and also because I thought this was a good opportunity to meet other exchange students. We had class every day from 9 in the morning till 2 in the afternoon. I learned a lot in these two weeks and I also received 5 ECTS for this course. And above all I met new people that became my friends for the rest of the semester. After this course and before the semester began, we had a welcome meeting. There were speeches about the university, the different offices and activities and we got drinks and food. Later we also had a meeting about the computers and library and another meeting about what we had to arrange before the courses begun. Also at the end of the semester they organized a farewell gathering to inform us about everything we had to arrange before we would go back to our own countries. Everything was very well arranged. Also whenever I had a question I could go to the International Office or sent an email, they were very helpful. The first day we went to university for the Intensive Course we went to the International Office and we received some useful information about the city and the university. I am very satisfied about the International Office, I could send an email or just go there whenever I had a problem and they were always there to help me. It is good to know that there will always be someone to help you when you are in a city in a country where you don’t know anyone. After the welcome meeting we were invited at the city hall. The mayor welcomed us and told us he was so happy to have us here. There was also a traditional Basque dancer. I felt welcome and appreciated at that moment. Also the university offered a Buddy-system. You could send a form with information about yourself and then the university would match you with a local student. Then it was up to you how this would develop. I got in contact with a girl who lived in Bilbao and also studied psychology. We talked through internet and even met up a couple times. It was fun to talk to a local student and if I ever had questions she could help me, so I was happy to have her. Living costs Life in Bilbao has been very expensive for me. I received an Erasmus grant, which was approximately 210 euros per month. I also received a student grant from the government and extra money because I was not able to travel by train in the Netherlands those months. This together was about 400 euros. Besides that I also have a loan, which is 500 euros per month. So I received a lot of money and I also saved money for this period. My rent was 400 euros per month. Groceries cost me about 150-200 euros per month. And of course I spent a lot of money on traveling and doing fun stuff, much more than I would have done in Tilburg. I did not have to buy many books for my courses, but I probably spent 130 euros on school stuff, which is a lot less than I am used to in Tilburg. Public transport is really cheap in Bilbao and you don’t even need it, because you can easily walk everywhere. So I spent much more than in Tilburg, but I did everything I wanted, because I wanted to enjoy this experience as much as possible. Of course you can make it as expensive as you want to. Academic calendar The semester officially started the 4th of February, but I was there before, because the Intensive Spanish course started at the 26th of January. The first day of classes was the 11th of February and the last day of classes was 29th of May. The next week the exams started, from the 1th till the 11th of June. From the 22th of June till the 2nd of July was the resit period. I decided to stay till after the resits, because I did not know it I had to take one. Luckily I did not, so I had time to visit other city and enjoy my time in Bilbao. We also had Easter holiday for a week and a half. And during the semester we had some days of because of holidays. I thought the semester would be so long, but before I knew it, it was already over. Social activities Wednesday night, pintxopote. This was the most famous activity for exchange students in Bilbao, organized by ESN Bilbao. This organization offers social activities and excursions for exchange (and local) students. Every Wednesday night they would meet up in a bar where they offered cheap drinks and pintxos. Every Thursday night there was an Erasmus party in a club. ESN also organized excursions to other cities and surf trips. I went to pintxopote many times, because it was great to meet other students and just talk. I also went to Madrid with ESN, which I enjoyed very much. They organized city tours for us and two excursions to other cities: Toledo and Segovia. It was very well organized and I had a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend to join their trips! The university also organized a few excursions to different cities close to Bilbao. I joined the excursion to San Sebastian. We had to arrange our own transport, but we got a guided tour in the city. It was fun, but I had more fun at the trip ESN Bilbao organized. I met many other exchange students, at university and at the pintxopote, but mainly because of other people I already met. When you are all by yourself in a new country, you make friends easily and before you know it you have a new family. I also met a few local students, mainly in my classes. I even met a girl who is coming to Tilburg the upcoming semester as an exchange student! I was scared to talk to the local students, because my Spanish was not perfect and I was afraid I would not understand them, but at the end of the semester I did not have any problems with that anymore and I even enjoyed talking to Spanish people (in Spanish of course). I also travelled through Spain with my friends. The busses are cheap and sometimes you can even find cheap flights. I went to Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Sevilla and Córdoba in my Easter holiday. Another weekend I went to Barcelona. I visited a few cities close to Bilbao and after my exams I went a few days to Rome to visit a friend. I enjoyed discovering new places and seeing beautiful things. I was surprised how even cities in the same country can be so different. For example Bilbao is so different than Sevilla and Madrid is so different than Barcelona. I don’t have a favourite city, I just loved seeing and experiencing new things. Culture and language I did not experience culture shock, but I experienced many differences between Spain and the Netherlands. The main thing was obviously the language. When I arrived in Bilbao I already knew a bit Spanish, but not enough to understand everything and to be able to speak to people. So the first two weeks I was afraid of talking to people and I felt very insecure. But when you are in another country you can learn the language more easily because you can practice all day and you automatically learn to listen and read. Especially when I finished the Intensive Course I already improved a lot and I became better at Spanish every day. I also took a regular Spanish course during the semester to help me improve. That was an hour four days a week. I learned a lot there. I also took other courses in Spanish. The first half of the semester I was really struggling with this. It was so hard for me to understand and to react to the teacher and other students. I felt insecure in class and I was having a hard time. The second half of the semester it was a lot better. I had improved so much and I finally felt more secure when I was talking in class. I even had to do a presentation in Spanish for about seventy Spanish students. Scariest thing of the semester, but I did it and it went well! I felt so proud afterwards. In the end I passed my courses and I am happy I improved so much in Spanish, because that was one of my reasons to go to Bilbao. But it was not easy and you have to do it yourself. For example, I had an Italian friend whose English was not great. Because of this and because I wanted to learn Spanish we decided to just speak in Spanish, and ever since that moment I improved a lot. You just have to do it. Another thing that was different was the opening hours of the shops. In the Netherlands I am used to be able to shop all day till 6 o’clock. But in Spain the shops are open from 10-1 in the morning and then from 5-8 in the afternoon. Especially in the beginning I forgot this and ended up staring at the closed door of the shop. Now I have to get used to the opening hours in the Netherlands again, because I am used to be able to shop till 8 PM! Other things that were different: dinnertime, I am used to have dinner around 6/7, but there they eat at 10 in the evening, which is really weird for me. Also the life on the streets. Everyone is out, all the time. Children playing in the street with the parents chatting on the sidewalk. I really enjoyed this, it felt like I was never alone. I already knew a lot about the Spanish culture, but I did not know anything about the Basque culture. I learned a lot about that in Bilbao, because the Basque people are very proud of their culture and you can see it everywhere. I enjoyed learning about this so much. I also learned about my own culture. I learned that we are always in a hurry here and time is money. But it is not a big deal to have to wait a few minutes. I feel the life here is more stressful than in Spain and I felt more relaxed living there. I hope to keep this feeling living in the Netherlands. I also learned Dutch people are very direct in giving their opinion about something. In other cultures it might be rude to express yourself so clearly, so we have to be careful with this. Personal development The semester before I went to Bilbao I was a mentor for exchange students at I*ESN Tilburg. There I already experienced being around people from different countries. I enjoyed learning so much about different cultures and countries. Being in Bilbao I learnt even more, because I met people from countries and cultures I had not met in Tilburg and being in another country also makes you learn more. I think it is very useful for yourself and your further career to experience this. For me it was very interesting to talk to people from different countries about cultural differences and politics. They can have a totally different opinion which makes you think about your own and the main thoughts in your country. I think now I am more open minded and see some things in a different way than before. I also think I know myself very well now. This will be a good thing for my further career, because in my profession as a psychologist I will have to know my limits and now I think I know better what I can and can’t do. I learned that I am very lucky to live in the Netherlands, because I receive money to study abroad. Also I realized how lucky I am to have a European citizenship and be able to travel to other European countries so easily. I made some Turkish and Russian friends and they always need a visa, which costs money and never is easy to arrange. But, to be honest, I also learned that Dutch people tend to be stressful and think negatively and complain, which is something they should not do, because we should be happy to live here. I would not do anything differently if I had to do it all over again. I am happy how I did this and I also feel so proud of myself that I did this and with what I made of it, because it has been amazing. I do not regret anything. My best experience… I honestly don’t know. I enjoyed the trip I made during the Easter holiday, seeing a real flamenco show in Sevilla. Also waking up every day with the most beautiful view from my window and the feeling of doing this all by myself. And of course the new friendships I made, that hopefully will last for a very long time. Also I celebrated my birthday in Bilbao and it was one of the best days of that period. That day I found out that I made some real friends who care about me. I will never forget that they were singing for me in English, Dutch, Spanish, Basque, Turkish, Italian, Russian, Slovak and French. The worst experience was when my laptop broke down in the week I had to hand in two important essays and exams where coming. I don’t know if I ever experienced this much stress. In the end I made it, but it was a horrible week. The most important lesson I learned about myself is that I can ask for help. I always think I have to do everything by myself and that everything has to be perfect. I was struggling with one course, which I dropped in the end because it was too much, but if I would have asked the teacher for help, I probably would have passed the course. This was a huge lesson for me and I will try to ask for help sooner from now on. There are so many good memories from this experience, it is hard to choose one. I will just never forget this and how it changed me in a positive way. III Academic information Academic level The courses at Universidad Deusto are offered in English, Spanish (Castilian) and Basque. Not every course is taught in every language. I took two Spanish courses to learn the Spanish language, they were in Spanish of course. I would recommend this, because they are taught at the level that fits you and you probably need to improve your Spanish to be able to pass the other courses. The Basque course was taught in Spanish/Basque. This was a fun course, where you learn about the Basque culture and a bit of the language. I enjoyed learning about the place I spent the semester. I took two psychology courses in Spanish, one second-year and one fourth-year. The second-year course was about educational psychology. It was not a hard course, but I still had to do my homework and study a lot. I learned many new things and the teacher was very nice. The fourth-year course was about mediation. We had to do some group works and an individual work at the end. The course was not too hard, but I dropped this course because my Spanish level was not sufficient for the individual work. The English psychology course I took was about two types of psychological treatment: cognitive therapy and psychoanalysis. I also learned new things in this course. It was not hard, but the level of English of the teacher was really bad. I sometimes did not understand what she was saying, because she could not express herself well enough in English. I started the semester with another fourth-year psychology course in Spanish about evaluation and intervention in families, but I felt not comfortable in that group with that teacher and I did not understand so well, so I changed this course for the second-year psychology course. Later I heard from my classmate, a native Spanish speaking girl, who was still taking this course that she had to do so much for this course and that the teacher was really mean. So I would not recommend you to take this course. But in general the teachers were nice and the relationship between the students and the teaching staff was very informal and friendly. You could always give your opinion about anything or ask questions. The teaching at Universidad Deusto is more practical than in Tilburg. It is a mix between seminars and lectures. I liked this, because you immediately have to do something with the theory you learned. But this also means it is important you attend all classes, because often you have to hand in something during class that will be graded. In general, I am very satisfied with my academic achievements. I feel I really learned new things and I feel so proud that I passed my courses in Spanish. Exams Spanish course: four writing exercises; a midterm exam and a final exam that contained listening, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary; and speaking exercises during class. Basque course: a small exam at the end of the course that contained a reading and writing exercise. Educational psychology: group works in class; a presentation; two essays; and a final exam that contained forty multiple choice questions and a practical and creative part . Mediation course: three group works and a final individual work that was a lot of work. Treatment and Intervention: exercises in class; a group presentation; and a final exam that contained two parts of twenty multiple choice questions and one part with open ended questions. I have been studying a lot this semester, but in the end I feel satisfied with what I achieved. Other At the university where a few computer rooms and in the library also. You could easily get access to the computers and the working rooms. I never reserved a computer or a room, because other people from our group did that, but I think it is easy to do. Description of courses Course Prerequisites 10704 Spanish Placement test Intensive to determine Course (BA) your current level Exam Written, speaking in class. ECTS 5 10721 Spanish Regular Course (BA) Placement test to determine your current level Written, speaking in class. 6 Introduction to Basque Language and Culture (BA) 41016 Psicología de la Educación (BA) 41088 Mediación y Relaciones Interpersonales (BA) None Written 6 None Written 6 None Only assignments 6 41029 Psychological Intervention and Treatment (BA) Knowledge Written about psychopathology 6 Comments Midterm, four extra writing exercises, homework assignments Midterm, four extra writing exercises, homework assignments. Homework assignments Presentation, essays, group works Three group works and one individual work. A high Spanish level recommended. Presentation, exercises in class. Tips for further students Would you recommend an exchange period? YES! But only if you are ready for it. By that, I don’t mean that you can’t think it is scary and feel insecure about it. The day I left to Bilbao was horrible. I had no idea what I was doing and I did not want to leave my safe home. But I did it and you can read what it brought me. My motivation for this was that I was sure I would regret it if I would not go. I made a deal with my parents that I would stay for six weeks and if I did not like it by then, I could go home. But after six weeks I did not want to go home. You have to give yourself time to get used to your new life, but after six weeks you know what you are dealing with and then you can make a decision. But you should always give it a try. I would recommend Bilbao and my host university. It is a good (and beautiful) university with kind and helpful people and I enjoyed studying there. To prepare for going on exchange to Bilbao, check this website: http://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/es/turistas. There is information about the city and many pictures. I got excited to go to Bilbao because of this website. Also, expect rain and bring an umbrella. If you are going on exchange to Bilbao, I feel jealous, I would love to do it all over again. It might seem so scary and you might feel insecure, like me, but after a while it will feel like your second home. And of course there will be good moments and bad moments, but that is part of life. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so happy I took it. This will stay with me for the rest of my life. Like they would say in Basque: Bilbo, beti nirekin!