Unsure at the start
Even once I had confirmed my place to study Modern Languages at Durham, I really had no idea whether or not I wanted to study Modern Languages or whether I wanted to study at Durham at all. But after just finishing my final year at university and graduating with a degree in Spanish and Arabic, I can tell you now that I made the best decision. There are many reasons I have loved my time at university, a lot of them include the people I have met along the way and the unique experiences Durham has been able to offer. And somehow, despite not realising it, I managed to choose a degree that really suited me. I chose a degree that I could tailor to my varied interests in art, cinema, feminism and environmental politics and that more importantly, gave me the opportunity to travel abroad. If you are considering taking a year abroad or are fortunate enough to be soon setting off, then you will hopefully discover how enriching it is to make friends from across the globe and have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a foreign culture
Change of plans
I mean let’s face it, spending a whole year in sunny Spain in the middle of your degree? What’s not to love? Well, in fact, there are a few things that can make moving abroad a bit difficult. For instance, as I was due to undertake my year abroad in 2019, a combination of the pandemic and Brexit meant that out of the 18 months I would have been able to travel, I only made it away for five. Throughout my entire second year at university, I had spoken to countless people – older students, friends, staff members – anyone I could, to try and work out what placements would best suit me. I had finally settled on the plan that I would study in both Spain and Jordan. I was all set and ready to head to Granada when everything turned upside down! Staying at home for a whole year and following an online Arabic course was certainly not how I’d envisioned my ‘year abroad’ turning out.
To plan G!
Every day I was checking my inbox for email alerts to see if the FCDO website had updated its guidance on entry restrictions to Spain. In the meantime, I had to figure out a whole lot of information about visa applications, health insurance and travel insurance – all things which can be confusing even in usual circumstances! (Luckily, there is also a lot of helpful guidance on this – both from the FCDO pages and the university study abroad department). Once I had my visa prepared and I finally got the notification that the Spanish borders were open – I made it to my Erasmus study placement in Galicia as soon as I could. Given that studying in Galicia was not even my plan B, but more like my plan G – I was very unsure of what to expect. I knew so little about the region, how the university worked or what I had to do when I arrived to make the most of the opportunity to improve my Spanish. The first friend I made abroad was the dog in the BnB I stayed at for my first few days. The next friend I made was my Polish housemate who immediately welcomed me in and showed me everything she’d learnt about the city. Now, an entire year after finishing my study abroad, I’m writing this blog on a train in Italy – where I’m about to meet a friend I met whilst studying in Spain. Had I not made the decision to study languages at Durham and not been open minded enough to accept my year abroad Plan G – I would simply not be where I am today!
The best five months
I may have only made it away for five months, but they were definitely the best five months of my degree. I was not only able to immensely improve my confidence in Spanish but I learnt so much about how I manage challenging situations and how I enjoy to spend my time. Being abroad also gave me time to reflect on what it was that I liked about my degree and what I would look forward to doing not only on returning to Durham but also after graduating. In fact, it was during my time abroad, that I decided I must return to Spain post-graduation. And it’s also where I learnt that even if *literally* nothing goes to plan – things will always work out okay in the end. Even if you’re not a language student, there are still opportunities for you to study abroad with your degree. For any queries, I recommend contacting your department or Durham’s study abroad team. In the meantime, if you’re unsure about which country you’d like to visit and you’d like to find out more about what it’s like to live there, have a read on the FCDO’s individual country pages, where you’ll also find specific living abroad guides.
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