San Sebastian
Spain
ANR: 519182
Name: Larissa van der Lans
E-mail: larissalans@hotmail.com
Exchange semester: Spring, 2013
Academic year: 2013/2014
Host University: Universidad de Deusto, San Sebastian
In October 2011 I saw an advertisement about studying abroad and from that moment on I knew I
wanted to go abroad. After filling in a thousand forms it was finally there, on 22 December 2011 I received
my acceptance letter. In a year I was leaving the Netherlands for an amazing experience in San Sebastian,
Spain. Since you have more than one year you think you have time enough to prepare yourself for your
exchange, but is goes faster than you think. You have to start saving money, find housing, prepare yourself
for the culture and to learn Spanish. Spain is part of the European Union. Therefore I didn't need a student
visa. Because I was going to study at a university in Spain, Tilburg University obligated me to have
language level B1. So from the moment that I heard that I was going to Spain I started taking Spanish
lessons at the university. The first semester I started with the course Spanish beginner and after that
Spanish intermediate. Besides the language was my housing also an important thing. First I started
looking for apartments or rooms myself but this turned out not to work. So when I informed my Host
university about this they told me about their housing service. All I had to do was fill in this form with my
preferences and send it to them and they would arrange the housing for me. A week before I left I received
an email with information about my apartment and my roommates. This went all smoothly and was
arranged perfectly. So after I knew I had a safe place to stay, I successfully achieved my Spanish B1 level
and my suitcases were all packed it was time for me to start a for me at that point unknown and little bit
scary adventure.
On Saturday January 19th I flew from Amsterdam to Barcelona. Because I overslept, my parents had to
wake me up and I had exactly fifteen minutes to get ready to leave to the airport. When I was there the
goodbye with my parents was hard, but the moment I went through the customs I was ready to start my
new adventure. My flight at 07.35 to Barcelona went perfectly and before I knew it I was there. From there
I took the train (a six hour ride) to Bilbao where I stayed the night in a hostel. My first plan was to directly
travel from Bilbao to San Sebastian (a one hour bus ride), but because of a holiday in San Sebastian they
advised me to come a day later because the city would be hard to reach because of the crowd. Therefore I
decided to stay that Sunday in Bilbao. Because it was Sunday everything was closed but it was nice to rest
a day after my busy travel schedule of the day before. The next day I took the bus from Bilbao Airport to
San Sebastian and I was finally there. When I arrived at the bus station there was someone from the
organization where I had arranged my room to pick me and my luggage up and brought me to my room.
This was a very nice welcome after all the travelling by myself. The moment we arrived at my apartment
all my roommates were gone. So I started decorating my room with the stuff I brought from home and
explored the apartment a little bit. After half an hour my roommates came home, two girls, one from
Holland, Jitske, and Jennifer from Australia. They told me there was a fourth roommate, Florian from
France, but he wasn't home at that moment. I spend an amazing afternoon with them and knew from the
moment I met them that we would going to have an amazing time.
San Sebastian is located on the north coast of Spain. It is a small but amazing city. It has 186409 habitants
and is located in the Basque country. San Sebastian is known as the culinary capital city of the world so
everywhere you look there are bars and cafes. It even is the city with the most restaurants that have a
Michelin star!! Furthermore has it an amazing cathedral in the middle of the center and is there a great
shopping area. Besides the center there is also the old part of the city. This is the oldest part of the city
with the harbor and the party area. In the middle of 'Parte viaje' is the main street 'Calle Fermin Calbeton'
which is literally one street with only bars and cafes! I had the luck to live in this street above one of the
great cafes!
San Sebastian is well known for its Pintxos! These are all small little snacks which can variate from a piece
of bread with all kinds of topics from mushrooms to shrimps and meat to a croquette or olives. Every bar
has all their pintxos presented on the bar and you can get the one you want and eat them. When you are
finished you just walk to the bar and say how many you have eaten and then you pay. With these pintxos
you normally drink wine or beer. A funny aspect of eating in San Sebastian is that most bars have no chairs
or tables. You just eat standing and mostly outside. A good thing to know when you go to Spain is that the
people know how to drink!! Sometimes when I had class at 10 o'clock in the morning the first old guys
where already standing outside with a glass of red wine!! The last thing I want to tell about the food is that
every Thursday and Saturday there is Pintxo pote! On these two days you can get a pintxo and a glass of
wine or beer for only 2 euros. On these two days the streets and the bars are crowed with people eating,
drinking and laughing. Definitely something you have to do when you are in San Sebastian. I have
experienced some great nights with Pintxo Pote!
As I said before in San Sebastian or SanSe as all Erasmus students call this beautiful city, is located on the
north coast of Spain. Therefore is has two beaches. La Concha is the first beach and gives a perfect view on
the little island with the lighthouse on top. The second beach, named Zuriola, is the active beach where all
the water activities happen. Zuriola is also a very famous surf beach where the waves a perfect for a good
surf session. A little extra is the amazing gym and Spa at La Concha. The gym and Spa are literally built on
the sand and if you put once step outside the gym you are literally standing in the sand. If you are standing
in the gym you have a beautiful view of the beach and the ocean and if you have had a hard workout you
can make a dive into the ocean for a cooling down;)!
Universidad de Deusto has two locations. It has faculties located in Bilbao and in San Sebastian. At the
campus in Bilbao they offer the bachelor degrees Business, law, Philology, Philosophy, History,
Psychology, Psychopedagogy and Theology. The campus in San Sebastian is a lot smaller and offers the
bachelor degrees Business Administration and Management + Technical Engineering in Management
Computer Systems (double degree), Business Administration and Management, Communication and the
degree Management. Since I am a communication student I was located at the campus in San Sebastian.
The university was located in the middle of the city, near the river. Every morning I walked about 25
minutes near the beautiful river to the university. Because the university is a private school, it was very
small and cozy. Compared to the city the university had a big contrast. It was a modern complex in a city
full of old buildings. On the picture you can see the modern architecture. Because the university has such a
small campus all the Spanish students knew each other which gave you the idea that it was just one big
group of friends. Also the classes where a lot different than here in Tilburg. There were fixed classes and
every student of the same year and faculty followed the same courses. They aren't allowed to choose their
own courses. For us as Erasmus students this was a bit different since we were allowed to choose our own
courses and even courses from other faculties. The classes contained around the 20 students so all the
professors knew the names of the students. It was as if I had gone back to high school. All the rooms were
small with tables and chairs and the lessons were very interactive. I had to make a lot of homework but
the level of education in Spain is a bit lower than in The Netherlands so it wasn't difficult at all.
My school period was classified as follows. The introduction for the intensive language course was on
January 22nd. We started that day with a short introduction about the university in general and we had to
make a test to see in which level of Spanish you were going to follow the intensive language course. There
were three levels and as a big surprise I was following classes of the second level. The language course
took 2 weeks and after that my official semester started. On February 7th and 8th we had two
introduction days, but because we already heard a lot of information during the introduction of the
language course this was a bit superfluous. Though it was a nice opportunity to meet all the other Erasmus
students who didn’t participate in the intensive language course. After these introduction days we got one
week to follow all the courses you liked or thought that were interesting. Subsequently you needed to
make your schedule with at least 5 courses. At Deusto University they have the same grade system with
ECT's and you receive the same amount ECT's for one course as in the Netherlands. For me it was very
difficult to make a schedule that fitted, because of my difficulty with Spanish I preferred to follow English
courses as well, but because the communication faculty hardly had any English courses, I needed to follow
courses from the business faculty. The problem with this was that all the students of the business faculty
had the first priority to choose their courses and then they were going to look if there was still a free spot
for the other students, since all the classes had a maximum of 20 to 25 students. Eventually after many
switching and puzzling and many appointments with my tutor we found a fixed schedule of 4 courses.
Because the fifth course was simply not possible in my schedule I talked to my study advisor from Tilburg
University and she told me that it was possible to follow this last course the next semester in Tilburg. In
fact I did follow 5 courses, 2 courses from the communication faculty, 2 from the business faculty and 1
language course. But because I didn't receive any credits for this language course (is a rule from Tilburg
University) this course didn't really count. Halfway during the semester we had spring break from March
28th until April 8th. After that break the classes continued until May 31th. On that day the exam period
started which finished on June 8th. Just as at Tilburg University you don’t have for all courses a final exam.
There are courses which you end with a report or assignment. I had only three final exams. Besides the
final exams you have also small tests during the semester itself which all count for your final degree.
I will tell you something more about my specific schedule and life at the university. At Deusto most
courses are taught in Catalonian. The other languages are English and Basque. In most cases the courses
are available in Catalonian and Basque, so then you are able to choose. Some courses are only available in
Catalonian or in English, so it is very depended which course you choose. In my case I choose for three
English courses and one course taught in Catalonian. Because I was registered at the Communication
faculty I first needed to choose courses from the faculty Humanities. Here I choose Publicidad and
Interpersonal communication. Publicidad is like advertising which I think is very interesting.
Interpersonal communication is a combination of psychology and communication which was very
fascinating because there were more speaking about how people react to certain things than only about
communication. So more about natural behavior of people. Because the rest of all the courses given at the
communication faculty, were taught in Spanish, I choose the other courses from the business faculty. Here
I choose Leadership and Business Ethics. Leadership taught us about management styles and groups
processes. Ethics wasn't my first choice, but since it was in English and fitted in my schedule I choose it. It
is a course about how you have to behave in a company and how in your relationship with your
stakeholders. You discuss multiple cases and you have to give a presentation. In the end I liked this course
the most because of the interactivity with the teacher and his enthusiasm.
Code
Course name:
Prereg.
Exam
Major at BI
Approved
ECTS
as
52024
52025
53621
53623
25504
25521
Etica Civica y
profesional
Liderazgo y
desarrollo
directivo
Publicidad
None
Written/Presentation
BA Business
Common
6
None
Written/Presentation
BA Business
Common
6
None
Written/Presentation
Common
6
Communicación
Interpersonal
Español lengua
extranjera B1.1
Español lengua
extranjera B1.2
None
Written/Presentation
Common
6
A2
Written/Presentation
Extra
5
B1.1
Written/Presentation
BA
Communicación
Ba
Communicación
BA
Communicación
BA
Communicación
Extra
6
Compared to the Netherlands the academic level at Duesto University is significantly lower. For example
all the theories and models I needed to learn in my first year, they learn here in their third year. The way
of teaching isn't comparable to the way of teaching at Tilburg University. All the classes have maximum
20/30 students and the lessons are very interactive. In some cases the teacher even knows your name and
asks questions. Furthermore is attendance obligatory. So every day you start the class with signing your
name on a list or teacher calls your name. The workload isn't the same as at Tilburg University at all. You
have to make small exercises which are very simple and you have to make presentations, but if I compare
the workload and the grade you receive, Tilburg University has a lot more requirements and assesses a lot
stricter. As I said before the classes are very interactive. Because of this interactive element the
relationship between teacher and student is a lot different than at Tilburg University. The students call the
teachers by their first name but when it comes to topics they are very professional and don't discuss
private topics. The courses have primilarly a theoretical character but it differs per course. For example
the course Interpersonal Communication is very practical. In all courses you work in project groups with
which you have to make a presentation or a document in the form of a marketing plan or essay.
During my stay I found great support by the international office, my buddy and my academic tutor Felix
Arrieta. With my tutor I have had many appointments about my schedule and he helped me very good. It
was nice that he was one of the few people who could speak perfect English. So if I had a problem I
emailed him and he looked it up for me or contacted other persons on the university. Also the people of
the international office were very friendly and helpful. They really gave you the feeling they wanted to
help you and that no problem was too big. Maria Navarlaz was the coordinator and she was the woman
where you had to go if you had any questions concerning you courses etc. There was also a student
services department. Here you got go with literally every question you had. There was a counselor and if
you needed a doctor you were able to go there and they would contact a doctor close to your apartment
and made the appointment for you.
My buddy was also a communication student at Universidad de Deusto. Her name was Lorena Lujanbio
Arteaga and she was in her second year. She told me all the rules of the university and helped me with the
intranet and the website which you had to use for all your courses. Furthermore was she also in my
Spanish course Publicidad, which was a huge relieve. My teacher couldn't speak any English and although
Lorena's English was good at all, she tried to help me as much as possible. Eventually I was confident
enough to switch to Spanish in my communication with her, what she really appreciated and eventually
offered some tutoring for my Spanish! The great advantage of a buddy is that she is also a student so she
knows exactly how the things work around there and because she is a student, she was a lot more
approachable for me than for example a professor.
Last but not least there was the Servicio de Deportes (Sport services) which was coordinated by Santiago
Serrats. I know for sure that every Erasmus student knew this man. He was like the guardian angel for all
the Erasmus students. He was the one who picked you up from the bus station with your entire luggage
and brought you to your apartment and he organized all the great activities. Almost every week there was
this amazing party or activity in the weekends. We have had an introduction dinner, a valentine dinner, a
ski-trip to the Pyrenees, bungee jumping and rafting, horse riding, surfing, visiting cidria's, salsa lessons
and so on. Also because of this service our social activities with the locals were improved. Mostly exchange
students signed up for the activities but there were always some local students who joined. Besides the
sport activities you were also able to volunteer for several activities and there was a service where you
could sign up for religious activities. As far as I know was there no student organization for the
international student. I think this is because it is such a small university. I mostly communicated with the
local students in class or during assignments. In every class we worked in groups, and in every group
there were some international students and some local students. In some cases was the communication a
bit hard because of their lack of English but in most cases we worked it out and developed great
friendships.
The greatest part of going abroad is the friendships you develop with other international students. During
my stay in Spain I made friendships which will last a lifetime and I will never forget all the people I met
over there. My whole period in Spain exists of communication and activities with other international
students. Literally everything that I did was with other Erasmus students. Because I arranged my staying
at the flat renting service from the university you are automatically living with other international
students, since they only have this service for international students. Also the intensive language course at
the beginning of the semester was perfect for meeting other international students. This is typical a thing
that only Erasmus students do and so in the first week we had already formed a huge group of almost 40
international students from all over the world. In the morning we went to class and in the afternoon and
evening we always did something together. Further in the semester I also made trips to other cities in
Spain. I have been a weekend to Valencia with 4 other Erasmus students for 'Las Fallas' which is a three
week during event. The whole city is decorated with these huge art works made of paper-maché. Every
day they set one on fire and at the end the most beautiful one is saved. Furthermore there are a lot of
fireworks and other small fires. During Spring break I have made a road trip to the south of Spain with one
other girl. In Spain you mostly travel by bus because the train is extremely expensive. So with a 13 hour
bus drive, you travel from the North to the South of Spain. There we have visit 6 cities in 12 days. We left
with the bus in San Sebastian on a Tuesday evening at 19.00 and arrived in Sevilla at 10.00 the next
morning. After Sevilla we went to Granada, Malaga, Marbella, Cadiz, Cordoba to eventually return back
home to San Sebastian. We traveled everything by bus and stayed in hostels.
To be honest I didn’t held any presentations about Tilburg University but I promoted Tilburg University in
the assignment we had to make. In most cases the teacher motivated the international students to tell
about the differences between Spain and the other countries. So in every assignment I made of every
presentation I hold I gave some information about Tilburg University which completely depends on the
topic. It could go from the atmosphere at the campus, to the way of teaching and examining to the student
life in Tilburg. During the intensive language course we were all divided in groups of people with the same
nationality and with that group you had to prepare a presentation in Spanish about you home country and
the school/university where you are studying. This was of course only for international students but that
didn't make it less interesting.
Going abroad isn't cheap. I had saved money because I wanted to make sure that money wasn't an issue
during my stay abroad. This was definitely one of those things that you only do once or twice if your life so
I wanted to enjoy and experience it to the fullest. My total amount of money that I could spend over there
was a combination of multiple sources. If you go on exchange you receive a grand from Tilburg University.
Besides that I still had my study funding and the money which I had especially saved for my exchange. My
fourth and last source was the compensation I received for my Ov student card. Because you are going
abroad you aren't able to use your Ov card, so they give you a compensation for that. Compared to Tilburg
my expenses in Spain were a lot higher. For example my room in Spain was €405, while in Tilburg I only
paid €265 for renting my room. So here you already see a big difference, plus while you are abroad you
don't work, so that income you already miss. My biggest costs during my stay were all the activities and
parties. Compared to your life in Holland you do so much more while you are abroad. You make little
excursions and make city trips. That is what makes it expensive. If you look at the average costs for food
and your daily products than Spain isn't more expensive than The Netherlands if you know where the
good supermarkets are. For example in my neighborhood there was a Lydll. That was the cheapest
supermarket there was and they had almost everything. There was also a Spar and off course in every
street a Chinese shop. Those were the more expensive shops to go to, but perfect if you had a last minute
party somewhere and you were out of booze;)! All the Chinese shops closed at 10 o'clock at night so
perfect for it you needed something late at night. If you compared the going out at night with The
Netherlands are there some differences. During the week you have all these student discounts and are the
drinks really cheap. In most cases you have even a card where you can get a free drink every night. But in
the weekends you had to pay more for your drinks since all the local people where going out as well. My
advice for future students is to save money for all you trips and activities. Find out before you leave what
you want to do and at least which cities you want to visit. Then you already know more or less how much
money you need for all the fun stuff! But trust me, I can tell you that you are going to spent way more
money than you planned at first;)!
In general I have spent per month €405 for my room, €200 for food, €30 for transport and around the
€300 for all the fun stuff and miscellaneous. To be honest I didn't buy any books. Most of them were on
the internet or I borrowed a book from a Spanish student. I have to make a note about the rent for my
room. I was situated in the middle of the nightlife which made my room expensive. I knew people who
were living more near the university which was about a 25 minute walk and they paid half of my rent. So it
is very dependent on the location of your room how much you pay.
By going abroad to Spain I didn't only end up studying at a new university but I also found myself living in
another culture and met people with different cultures. To be honest I didn't experience a culture shock
while I was on exchange. From the moment I arrived there it felt like home and especially the people I met
and hang around with gave me the feeling that we were one big family which made my exchange very
natural and comfortable. The Spanish culture had a lot of differences compared to the Dutch culture. The
most important difference is the time aspect. The people see the aspect of time totally different than here
in the Netherlands. In Spain it isn't as weird as in the Netherlands if you come a few minutes to late.
Another example is in the local stores. If you enter a grocery store and you want to pay you can easily wait
a few minutes before they help you even if there is no one else in the shop. The way of life in Spain is way
more relaxed. You also see this is the siesta which is still very actual these days. Every day from 14.00
until 16.00 all the shops and banks are closed. Literally everything. A siesta is normally meant to avoid the
hottest part of the day and comes originally from the south, where the temperatures can become high, but
in the north this is rarely the case. The siesta has become part of the culture and the people live by it.
Another big difference is the way of life in Spain. In Holland we work and at the second place comes all the
fun part. In Spain they really live with the motto 'You live to enjoy'. When you are walking through the
streets you always see people drinking together.
Living in Spain taught me some things about the Dutch culture as well. In Holland we are very open and
punctual. We express our feelings and opinions to people we just met and are very 'open' about our
private life. With punctual I mean that if we say something that we also do it. I really saw this in canceling
for an appointment, coming on time or the division of tasks for a school project. If we make an
appointment in Holland then we expect the other parties to be there on time and to let us know a
reasonable time ahead that they are not going to make it. Other cultures think a lot different about this
and make it almost a rule to come standard a few minutes to late and call off the appointment only a few
minutes before it starts. In the beginning I noticed myself getting annoyed with people doing this, but
when I saw how they reacted to this, as if it was the most normal thing in life, I accepted that this was just
part of their culture. 'Don’t worry, tomorrow there is another day' and mostly we ended up going to a bar
and having a drink;)!
I expected to be the Spanish people very friendly, warm and hospitable. Since this was what I always
remembered when I went with my parents on vacation in the south of Spain. But what I learned during my
stay is that the people in the North are a lot different. They told me already that the people in Basque
country are more reserved and focused on their own community. This goes especially for the older people,
because you can notice that the younger people are more interested in other cultures etc. A good example
of this is for example when you walk through the city. I am a blond girl and almost every Spaniard has
dark hair. Especially the first weeks I really felt like an event because literally everybody stared at me.
After a few weeks I got used to it but the staring didn't became any less. At the university you also notice
that they were looking at you when you were passing by, but once they saw you in class and started to talk
to you it became less. I really felt this as a big difference with the Netherlands since we live with so many
nationalities here that we are used to having a lot of different looking people around us. This was an
aspect of Spain which I liked less. I have experienced one time that I was speaking Spanish in a store,
because I already saw that the old lady couldn't speak any English. Once she started talking she only spoke
Basque, which is the language of the Basque country and is totally different than Catalonian. A lot of
people speak this language in San Sebastian but they always can speak a few words of Catalonian, but this
woman just refused to speak it. Eventually I went out of the store without having bought anything. In this
example you can feel that especially the old part of the population refuses to adapt to anything other than
their own culture.
That I have experienced some difficulties with the language has to be clear by now. Even though I had
followed already two courses Spanish at Tilburg University I felt quite confident when in left Holland. I
even did the intensive language course when I arrived in Spain. This course was given before the start of
the semester and was fun! Every morning we had to be at a still empty university at 09.00 for our lessons.
As I told you before there were three levels and I was in the second level. You had to buy this book for only
€8 which was practically your Spanish bible. Every morning you did some exercises from this book and
the course was divided in topics. So every three classes we worked out one topic, for example the weather,
and so you worked on your vocabulary, grammar and especially verbally you learned a lot. We had to
speak a lot, but since you were with all Erasmus students it was sometimes very funny with all the
different accents and because everybody has the same level of Spanish. During the course you also needed
to right some short texts and give a presentation about a newspaper article. Both very short and very easy.
At the end you need to do a final test which contains of only exercises which you had already done. So if
you pay good attention during the classes this should be very easy;)!
When you are receiving your package with all the documents you need to fill in there is also a form which
asks you if you want to participate in the Erasmus Intensive Language Course. This is part of the
organization which also gives you the grand for going abroad. This language course is given in almost
every country and specializes in the languages given in that country. When I was going to my study
advisor Nadia for some information about this she told me that in the North of Spain they only provide the
language Basque. Because I found the Catalonian difficult enough and imagined that if they thought me
another Spanish language this would be too much. So I decided not to do this. Eventually I was very happy
with my choice because the Erasmus Intensive Language course was at the same time as the language
course arranged by Duesto. And since I met all my friends during this language course I wouldn't have
miss this for the world. During the semester there was also a regular language course, but since the faculty
Humanities in Tilburg doesn't give you any ECT's for a language course, I have followed only a few lessons
when I decided that since I was in Spain and I didn't receive any credits for it to stop. I could spend my
time better to explore Spain.
At the university I have followed one course in Spanish what was really tough. In general my Spanish was
good for conversations and in stores and cafes, but at school it was a whole other level of Spanish.
Another language problem which I have experienced was the communication with other students.
Especially in the beginning when my Spanish wasn't that good sometimes I asked a Spanish student in
English if I had understood correctly and they just didn't understood me. This one time I had to make a
test for the only Spanish course that I followed. The teacher gave us some instructions about how the test
had to be made. To be sure I asked the girl sitting in front of me if we needed to hand the papers in or that
we could just put them in the corner of our desk. She looked at me as if she was seeing a ghost and started
to stutter in Spanish. Followed by asking her friend who sat next to her to help me, but she also didn't
know what I was saying. This gives a good example of how bad the English of even the youth of Spain is.
Fortunate was the English of the students in the courses given in English a bit better, but still not the level
you expect for people of our generation.
I definitely learned something about my stay in Spain. I learned to enjoy life more and that work isn't the
most important thing in life. In Holland we are always busy and we always have to do something. In Spain
I have learned to enjoy a night simply by sitting on a balcony with a good glass of wine and having
interesting conversations. You don’t always have to do something to have the time of your life.
Furthermore I have learned that stressing helps you to nowhere. It only gives you a bad feeling and a
headache;)! So just breathe, let everything you have in your hands drop, go do something else and when
your head is clear (in most cases the next day) then continue. Besides that I learned a lot about Spain and
its culture also the people I met over there have changed my cultural and social point of view. All these
different cultures and habits make you understand the decisions and choices those people make. At first
sight you see all these different people with all these different cultures and lifestyles and sometimes it is
hard to adjust to them. But once you get to know these people and your hear their stories all the pieces fit
together as a beautiful puzzle. Instead of being afraid of all the different habits I found it fascinating.
Almost every two weeks we organized a culture evening. On such a night we all lived by that one culture.
We made typical food from that country and played typical games played by the people from that culture.
I know for sure that this experience has changed me and will be a huge influence for my future career
possibilities. Because I have lived with many different people with different cultures I think I will be better
in working in groups since I have learned that although everybody is different everybody is amazing in
their own way and with his/her own culture. Furthermore do I think that I will adapt faster when I am
surrounded with people I have never met before. The experience has made me curious to other culture
and I am more willing to open myself up to other people and am more willing to get to know them.
The greatest thing about going abroad is that there are all these people who are travelling by themselves
and starting this adventure alone. But that once you have met some of these people in only a few days you
are already becoming such good friends with them. I think this is because everybody is alone and is dying
to speak to someone. I was afraid that I found it hard to start speaking to someone, but once you are there
it is like kind of a surviving behavior. So all these people who you didn't even knew before are within a
week all of a sudden such an important aspect of your life. Everybody wants to be friends with everyone
and everybody respects each other's funny characters or weird habits. You are respected for the person
who you are with all your positive and negative aspects. There are just happy that you are there and that
you are spending time with them. This is such an amazing and refreshing experience that I will never
forget and that which has influenced my view on friendships and people extremely.
Looking back at this amazing adventure there is not one thing that I would have done differently!! I am
happy with the choices I have made and I would never know how my experience would have looked like if
I had made other choices. I have had the time of my life, I have seen all the cities that I wanted to see and
done all the things that I wanted to do. It was 1000 times better than that I expected it to be. People asked
me about my favorite experience while I was abroad. I have been thinking about this for almost a month
now but seriously I can't decide which experience is my favorite. There are too many great things that I
have done and experienced, but if I really have to say one thing in general is all the people I have met!!
When you are preparing for going abroad you have certain expectations about how things are going to be
and how you are going react of behave in certain reactions. I can tell you that I have got to know myself a
little bit better while I was abroad. I have learned to enjoy life more but more important I have learned to
listen to people before I judge. Especially in the beginning when you see people you automatically make a
selection of people you want to get to know better and which one not. But during my stay I noticed that
this line blurred away and that in the end I wanted to know everybody and hear their life stories. I think I
can explain this feeling by the following quote 'Never judge a book by its cover!' In life but especially when
you go abroad you have to be open minded and enjoy and then everything will be alright!
I want to end with some tips and recommendations. The most important advice and tip that I am going to
give you is 'GO ABROAD!!' You will make friends from all over the world and the experience is
UNFORGETTABLE!! San Sebastian is a great city and not too big. It has literally everything to make your
stay there amazing.
* Make use of the room renting service of the university. The day you arrive in San Sebastian they will pick
you up from the bus station or wherever you want and bring you and your luggage to your apartment. I
know it will cost you a little bit more money than if you go looking for a room yourself. But if you make use
of this service you will get a great and clean apartment and most importantly, you will be housing with
only Erasmus students! So the moment you arrive you already have two or more people who are also new
and dying to make some friends! (They don't really have a website but if you contact the university they
can send you information)
* Start on time with choosing which courses you want to follow. You have to fill in this form for Tilburg
University in which you mark the 5 courses which you want to follow and you need to get them approved
by the university. I had chosen and got approved 5 courses but the moment I arrived in Spain they told me
that some courses weren't thought anymore or there was overlap between courses. I ended up having to
choose 3 new courses which fitted in my schedule and I needed to get approved all over again. This all
created a stressful situation so I would like to advice you to contact your host university two months
before you leave and ask them if they have an up-to-date schedule with all the courses for you and the
times so you can have a look at the schedule and choose your courses.
* Start half a year before you leave finding out what big things you want to do while you are abroad. Think
for example about traveling to other countries, visiting other cities, making excursions etc. I could really
recommend you to visit as much as cities in Spain as possible. It is an amazing country and the little towns
are amazing! If you want more information about cities I have done a road trip and I can give you all the
information you want to have! Furthermore a Cidria's can definitely not miss in your adventure!! On this
website
you
can
find
all
the
activities
the
Sport
service
of
the
university
organizes
https://sites.google.com/a/deusto.es/servicio-de-deportes-donostia/
* Make sure that you have a basic level of Spanish. This will make your more confident when you leave
and makes it easier for you once you are in Spain to go outside! Especially since the local people don't
speak any english at all.
* Sign up for the Intensive language course. This is a course which a lot of international students will
follow and so it is the perfect situation to meet new people.
* Bring some photo's and other stuff from home with you to decorate your room. In the beginning
everything is new and scary and then it is nice if you have your own space with your own stuff in it so it
feels a little bit like home!
*Useful websites and email addresses for more information.
www.deusto.es
https://sites.google.com/a/deusto.es/cshincoming/
www.opendeusto.es
http://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/study/abroad/
https://sites.google.com/a/deusto.es/servicio-de-deportes-donostia/
Larissalans@hotmail.com
maria.navarlaz@deusto.es (coördinator International Office)
sserrats@deusto.es (Coördinator Sport services. For questions about the activities and renting service)