ONE MONTH IN SPAIN- LIFE UPDATE

Hello 🙂 I decided to give you small life update on how are things now. I did a post one week after I arrived. I was very depressed and stressed back then because a lot of the things were very unclear and I had no idea what will I be doing here. I had to change my way of thinking from negative to more positive. It wasn’t easy and it took me a very long time. I still want to go back home because I miss my family a lot.

When I came here my way of thinking was very negative. I was ready to pack all my things and go back. I knew that I can’t do that but I had that idea at the back of my head. I did not understand anyone which was the most annoying thing, they spoke too fast so in many cases I just pretended that I understand them. I was sitting in my room and sometimes I cried and  I was trying to explain to myself that the time will fly fast. I still want to go home, but my Spanish improved a lot. I understand more and I can say more. I’m making mistakes but I don’t really care because it’s part of learning. Now when I want the time to fly faster I listen to music, read or write my blog. I’m only listening to Cleo and Poparzeni Kawa Trzy. They are Polish artists that help me here a lot. It’s the type of music that you listen to  when you feel sad. They are two different types of music but it’s very hard to explain my music taste 😛  I’m not as depressed and stressed as I was at the start but there are days when I just want to lay in the bed and cry. I think everyone has those days.

When it comes to university life here it’s very stressful for Erasmus people, especially if your Spanish is not very good. I have 2 English friendly subjects, one in English and 2 in Spanish. It’s very hard to do my notes sometimes, especially if I only understand some of the teachers. I have to find most of the information by myself. I’m happy that I will be able to do three of my exams in English. It’s much harder for the Erasmus people here than in Ireland. I feel like Erasmus students get more help in Ireland than here. I got used to it now but at first it was hard. I usually do my notes in English so it’s easier.

At the start it was very hard for me to get used to living with people who like a lot of noice. I’m a person who likes to sit in a quiet place with a book or laptop. I live with Spanish students, for them it’s normal to have a loud party in the middle of the week. I had small issues with them but I think that everything will be OK now. I’m the oldest one here, they probably think that I’m old boring granny haha 😀 But I don’t care.

I think I feel more comfortable here now. I still can’t say that this is my house and I still didn’t unpack some of my things. I still need time. I noticed that the time flays very fast so it’s much easier for me now. I just can’t wait for summer because some big changes are coming up 😀 I hope you liked my post 🙂 Don’t forget to follow me if you want more, I also have Instagram where I post more often 😀 See you soon :*

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT SPAIN ?

Hello 🙂 Today I decided to come back to my Spanish topic. I want to talk about things that I like about Spain or the area where I live. If Spain is your future destination some of these things may be useful. I have been here for almost one month and I think that I can already say what I like about this country. Sit back and relax 😉

1. The first thing that I seriously love about the place where I live is the price of the bus. You can get a bus card that costs around 2 euro and you put money on it. Every time you enter the bus you have to tap it and it takes 40 cents from your card. It’s very cheap compering to Ireland because I have to pay around 10 euro everyday when I’m going to college.
2. Another thing that I really like is that most of the drivers are very nice and when someone is crossing the street the car will stop. I’m not very used to it. In Poland and in Ireland it’s a very rare situation. Especially in Poland.
3. A lot of the things here are much cheaper than in Ireland. For example shops like Bershka or Zara are much cheaper here than in Ireland. That surprised me because I thought that the prices are the same in all the country.  Food is also very cheap, you can buy lunch for less than 5 euro. I’m not sure how is it in pubs but I think that alcohol is not expensive here.
4. People are very helpful here. I noticed that even if you don’t understand them they will try to do everything they can so you will understand. I noticed that from the first day that arrived here.
5. I really like how open to others Spanish people are. They like hugging and kissing a lot. They like to be close with the other person they are talking to. Sometimes it might be a little bit annoying when the person your are talking to is very close but it’s normal here. Everyone does it on the streets.

I hope that you like my today’s post 🙂 If you liked it feel free to stay longer with me and don’t forget to checkout my Instagram :* See you soon 😉

MONTHLY FAVORITES

Hello 🙂 Today I want to talk about something a little bit different. I haven’t talked about my favorite products for ages :O I decided to leave the topic I was writing about until now and do something different. Some of the products are from Poland 😛 As usual 😀 But I’m sure you will be able to find it in a Polish shop or you can buy them when you will go to Poland for holidays 😀 I hope you will enjoy this post so sit back and relax :*

The first product I want to talk about is this nail powder from Essence. I saw it for the first time here in Spain it was very cheap, the powder costs something around 2 euros and the sealing top coat a little bit over 3 euros. This makes a beautiful effect on your nail. Normally people get this effect using shellac and powder similar to this one. This option is much cheaper and you can do it at home. There is a lot of beautiful colours to pick. How to use it ? It’s very easy! Just paint your nails with any colour you want and wait for the nail polish to dry, then apply some of the nail powder on to your nails and rub it in. When you get the result you wanted apply the sealing top coat 😀

I got this exfoliating gel here in Spain too. I’m only using this every second day in the morning. It smells beautiful and it does its job. Normally I have very sensitive skin on my face and a lot of the face washes make my skin very red. This makes my skin very soft, it feels very clean and it doesn’t make my skin red at all. It was very cheap. I got it in a shop near the place where I live called Alimerka. It will be definitely my favorite face wash here in Spain.

Russian shampoo? Yes! I know I already talked about Russian shampoo, but I don’t know if I will ever stop. As you all may know by now I’m a person who takes care of my hair a lot. I love cheap and good hair products. These shampoos are amazing :O They are very cheap and it’s very easy to find them in Poland, and probably in Russia too 😀 I love how they smell and how well they clean my hair. I only wish they were bigger, because even though I wash my hair only twice a week I finish them very fast. In Ireland we have a lot of Russian shops, if you go in and ask about it I’m sure they will help you 😉

These two lipsticks from Bourjois :O I got these lipsticks for my fiance’s prom. I could not decide which will be better so I got two 😛 They may be a little bit expensive for some people but I think that they are worth their price. The one on the right is a liquid lipstick. It’s very soft and you can’t even feel it on your lips. It stays for a very long time and I think that this is the perfect nude shade. The one on the left is just a normal lipstick. It has beautiful colour and when you apply it, it’s very soft but it stays in one place. Both of these lipsticks smell beautiful, they are very easy to apply and the colours are absolutely gorgeous.

Another very good product from Bourjois. I really like this foundation because it’s very light and it looks very natural on the skin. It also smells very nice and if you do your make up properly it stays on for a very long time. I don’t use it everyday now because I usually don’t have time for doing make up in the morning, but I got it for my fiance’s prom and I was very happy with it. The only bad thing about it, is that it’s a little bit expensive.

I think everyone knows this face mask very well and I don’t need to explain what it is. I just wanted to say that this is just wow :O It does its job. It cleans the skin very well and it’s not as painful as most of the people are saying, but in my case  I tried similar face masks before, and even the DIY version 😀 My skin is probably used to the pain. This thing is great. If you are thinking about getting it, I think you should. 😀

My favorite mascara ever. I have three mascaras but I’m only using this one. It makes my eyelashes very thick and long. It doesn’t take long for it to dry, and even if you cry when you have it on your face will not be all black. It’s the cheapest mascara I have, because the other ones are more expensive but not as good. I really like the applicator. I will definitely get another one.

The last product I want to talk about is this hair mask/ hair oil. It is a hair product that is supposed to make your hair grow faster. If you follow me on me Instagram you probably know that after the prom I cut my hair very short. I like having short hair but for me it was definitely too short. I decided to stop taking biotin and look for some good hair product. This product was on a sale so I bought it. I’m using this product once a week for over a month now. My hair is a little bit longer now. I was stressed about coming here and at the start of my Erasmus journey I had problems with hair loss. Now my problem is gone. I fell in love with this product. It has so many good ingredients in it and it smells very nice. I got it in Poland in a shop called Hebe. 

That’s all for today 😀 I hope you liked it. Follow me here if you want to stay longer with me, also don’t forget to follow me on my Instagram where I’m more active 🙂 See you soon :*

ERASMUS ESSENTIALS

Welcome back 🙂 Last time I talked a little bit about Erasmus and what it is.

Today I want to talk about some essentials that will help you to feel better when you go abroad. I was looking for a similar videos on YouTube or blog posts on Google but I couldn’t find many. I decided to do this post because I wish I knew about many things before I came here, I think it can help people who will be going on their Erasmus in future. I will not be talking about the documents because there is a lot and I’m sure someone at your college or university will tell you a lot about it. This photo shows  my favorite building in this university :O It’s so big and so beautiful :O It looks like a castle.

Family

I think that friends and family are essential when you are going away. When I came here I was talking a lot with my family. I felt so much better after talking with them because they made me feel that even though we are so far away I’m not alone. I talk with them almost everyday. It is very important to keep in touch with your family, especially during the first few days when you feel lonely. It is important to talk with them about your problems, they might help you to solve them.

New friends 

Friends are just as important as family. Bad thing is that you can’t bring your friends to the place where you are going to. It is very important to be open to other people. You will meet a lot of people who are in the same situation as you. You will have a lot to talk about with the people you will meet. They will have very similar problems, their language level might not be as high so you can learn together or they could be from the same country as you. I was very surprised when I met some of the people and I became friend with some of them.

Taste of home

For me it was very important to bring some kind of food or drink that I would normally have at home. Normally I drink a lot of tea. I brought some green tea with me. That made me feel a little bit better. It wasn’t the same because I usually sit with my mum and we drink tea together, but at least I could have my tea and that made me very happy. I think if you bring you favorite snack or drink it will help you during your first few days. Believe me you will miss the food and drink from your country.

Find something to do

At the start it will be hard I know. It’s important to make yourself busy if you want your time to fly faster. When I arrived here I seriously did not know what to do with myself. I wanted to do something so I would forget that I’m here and the day would end up faster. I called my dad and he told me to start a diary. I had no paper but, I decided to make my little diary here. I think this is a great idea. After the whole thing will end I will read all my posts and probably laugh because I will probably think in a different way. It is important to study and try your best but also to have a life and have some fun.

This is all for today. If you have any questions feel free to contact me 🙂 Follow me on my Instagram if you want more. See you soon :*

 

ERASMUS ? WHAT IS IT ?

Welcome back 😉 Today I want to talk little bit about Erasmus. A lot of you probably don’t know what Erasmus is, so I decided to explain what it is. Erasmus is more European thing so if you are from another part of the world it is normal that you don’t know what it is. If you are interested in this I hope I will be helpful.

Erasmus is basically an European project that lets you go abroad for study or internship for  two semesters or only one semester. You can go to any European country that your college or university has connection with. In my case I could go only for one semester and my main destination was Spain because I want to teach Spanish in future.

Erasmus can be very expensive, you have to rent a room, you have to pay for your bills, and you obviously have to eat and have some fun sometimes. There is a solution for that. There is something called Erasmus Grant. Everyone can apply for it but unfortunately the money you will get are very little, you will probably be able to pay for your rent with it. For people who are living in Ireland there is another solution it is called SUSI grant. Not everyone can apply for this grant, but you can always try. If you want to know more about it check their website.

Erasmus is a great opportunity to live in a different country for a while and meet people from different cultures.  It is also a good opportunity for improving the language you are learning. I’m studying European Studies and Spanish. I never had any problems with Spanish and I thought that my Spanish is good, but when I came here I realized how much I can’t understand. After a week of listening to Spanish for almost all day I slowly got used to it and I could understand more. Thank god most of my subjects are actually English friendly.

Erasmus is also a very good opportunity to travel. It’s my first time in Spain. I will travel as much as I will be able to. I’m going to Malaga for Easter, can’t wait for that. You can travel as much as you want in your free time. I have to say that buses in Spain are very cheap, so if you want to travel in Spain ,I think that buses are the cheapest option.

If you have an option to go for Erasmus, I think you should take this opportunity. Now days experience is very important. It looks very good on your CV and it might give you more chance to get the job you really want. Erasmus makes you more independent because you have to find everything by yourself and take care of yourself. You can learn a lot about yourself while you are alone and so far away from the people you love. I learned that I hate traveling on my own, I hate big changes in my life and that I miss my little cat more than I thought. There are good and bad things about Erasmus but honestly I think that Erasmus is great and people should take the advantage of it.

This is all for today. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. Follow me on my Instagram and if you want to stay longer with me follow me here 😉 See you soon :*

 

ONE WEEK IN BURGOS, SPAIN

Welcome back on my blog 🙂 It’s been a week since I came to Spain and I want to talk about my first impression of this country and the city that I live in. Firstly I just wanted to say that I had a little surprise waiting for me outside of my apartment which was… snow. Haha yes! Snow! I could not believe in what I saw because I wasn’t prepared for snow in Spain, and I also left all my winter clothes in Poland because I thought that it will be too warm for these. I hope that it will get warmer because I’m a person that hates winter and loves summer.

I have been living here for one week, but there are things that started to annoy me. I really don’t understand the point of having a three hours break during the day, to be honest I would prefer to finish work three hours earlier instead of having the break. I guess for them it’s normal but for people that come here it can be annoying. When they are having the break all shops are closed but, all shops are opened until late.

I really like the way all buses cost the same amount of money here. It doesn’t matter where you are going you will still pay 1.20 or with the bus card 0.40c . This is very cheap compering to the amount of money I have to pay in Ireland. The only annoying thing about the buses is that you have to stand on the street or otherwise the bus will not stop on the bus stop, and also when you want to get off the bus you have to stand up and press the STOP button because like with the other situation bus will not stop to let you out.

I tried some of the Spanish food. I like some of the things. I will make a post about my favorite Spanish food later on when I try more. So far I tried Churros ( Spanish donut), Chorizo ( Spanish sausage), jamón (ham), Tortilla Espanola, and one type of cheese but I don’t know what it was. I think Spanish food is nice but I’m not a big fan of meat.

When it comes to Spanish people, I think they are very nice and very helpful. I got lost and these two Spanish ladies did everything they could to help me, sadly I couldn’t understand them fully so I just went my own way 😀 #googlemaps 😛 I’m a person that likes to have my own personal space, I also like to sit in quiet places. Usually I like to spend time sitting in a room on my own with a good book. Here people are veeery loud. They love parties. My house mates go to sleep very late and they put loud music until very late. Sometimes it annoys me, but at the same time I tell myself that I’m in their country and if it’s like that here I just have to adapt. I’m not a person that likes to party every week, maybe like every other month or not even. So far I noticed that they are people who like a lot of noise.

When it comes to the university I can’t say much. I have been there three times and my classes are starting tomorrow on the 5th of February. I’m a little bit worried because this university is so big comparing to my little IT Tallaght in Ireland. I’m also worried about the language. One tip for you guys if you are good at language st school or university don’t think that you will understand everything when you go to the country where that language is spoken. I’m studying Spanish since I was 13 years old and I’m 20 now. So yeah seven years of learning the language and I never failed any Spanish test. I will be forced to translate everything and to study more than I usually did. Wish me luck guys. This semester is very important for me so I hope I will really improve my level of Spanish. I can already feel the difference, I can understand more and I started to memorize new words.

That’s all for today guys 🙂 Hope you like my today’s little post. If you want more follow me on my Instagram 😀 I’m more active there. Please free to also follow me here 😀 See you very soon 😀 Bye bye :*