Amber's Exchange to CEU San Pablo | Spain
When I
first heard about
the opportunity to
go on exchange
at Murdoch I
was a high
school student walking
around an open
day, reading brochures
and grabbing free
pens. Of all
the brochures given
to me that
day, the exchange
one stuck with
me. When I
enrolled at Murdoch
the first thing
I could think
about was when
I should go
on exchange.
I
decided to wait
until I was
half way through
my degree so
I could settle
into University life
at Murdoch first.
Eventually the time
came when I
was ready and
the next question
was, where do
I go? Of all the
places Madrid intrigued
me the most.
It wasn’t too
cold (that was
a big fear
of mine), it
sounded so exotic.
I was excited
for the opportunity
to learn about
the Spanish way
of life. However,
the days before
I left to
go with Madrid
I was filled
with dread and
fear. I felt
unprepared. I was
filled with questions.
How can you
pack for 6
months worth of
weather changes? What
if no one
speaks english? What
if I make
no friends? I
got on that
plane questioning my
decision. However, it
didn’t take long
to realize I
had made the
best decision of
my entire life.
Within a week
I had made
friends and was
exploring the magnificent
city.
Making friends
was so easy,
I later thought
I must be
crazy for worrying
about it. Everyone
was in the
same boat as
me, alone and
ready for this
new experience. By
the end of
orientation day I
already had an
established group of
amazing companions. My
friends were from
all over the
world and it
was exciting to
learn all about
their cultures and
customs. With no
job and no
real commitment, life
on exchange was
constant restaurants, bars,
museums, picnics, dancing
and holidays. It
was so exciting
to explore our
city after classes.
We felt at
times like tourist
but then at
other times like
locals. We got
used to the
Spanish way of
life with siestas,
fiestas, tapas, paella
and a different
time schedule.
The classes
were very also
different. We had
compulsory classes all
day which was
hard to handle
but the classes
were really interesting
and it was
great learn about
other legal systems.
My professor’s were
also very accommodating
to the fact
that we were
on exchange and
really made us
feel at home.
The classes generally
started a little
bit late (as
everything does in Spain) and
each day we
could come home
for a siesta.
Leaving the siesta
was the hardest
part about coming
home.
We travelled
a lot. The
most amazing part
about living in
Europe is that
all these wonderful
countries are just
hours away. My
friends and I
went to Morocco and
Portugal together. We
also travelled through
the south of
Spain and to
Barcelona. These were
just our weekends!
Some weekends we
didn’t feel like
going too far
so would just
take an hour
bus to old
medieval towns like
Toledo and Segovia.
In the summer
holidays before I came back
to Murdoch I
ended up traveling
all through Europe
visiting all my
new friends. I
went to France,
Italy, the Czech
Republic, Hungary, Croatia,
Finland, Greece and
many more. I
know that if
I ever go
back to Europe
I can go
visit many more
countries and always
have a place
to stay.
Exchange
was everything I
hoped it would
be. It was
the best six
months of my life and
it will be
yours.
- Amber studied abroad at CEU San Pablo in Madrid, Spain
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murdoch University Study Abroad & Exchange - Outbound
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTACT US!
EMAIL: studyabroad@murdoch.edu.au
PHONE: +61 8 93607836
VISIT: Murdoch University, Student Centre, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150
FIND US!
WEBSITE: http://our.murdoch.edu.au/Student-life/Join-in/Overseas-study-opportunities/
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/murdochoutbound
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/murdochoutbound
