Thinking back to how much I was hating the idea of even coming to Valladolid and already counting down the days to coming home, it is weird how quickly things can start to turn positive. Having met Lucy, the best friend I could have ever wished for here, I have her to thank for making me enjoy this experience and introducing me to the friends she had already made within her tutor group. Without you, mis chicos y chicas, it 100% would have been a completely different journey!
The year abroad is most certainly the hardest thing I have ever done so far in my life, you quickly realise how adaptable you can be when thrown in at the deep end and God, you feel proud once you’ve finished! It’s a challenge yes, but one in which I would advise anyone who has the opportunity to do it to do so; you can’t come out at the end any worse off than you would have been at the beginning. Maybe it’s not so ‘life-changing’ to everyone, but for me, I needed this experience to realise how strong a character I am and I am grateful that the year abroad is a compulsory part of my degree because I doubt I would have chosen to do it otherwise. From an academic point of view, I can’t guarantee my Spanish has massively improved in comparison to my French (after Strasbourg!) but I’m planning on revising a bit over summer to change that. Either way, I would rather have my time in Spain filled with great memories and Erasmus friends than being hunched over a grammar book! Having said that, today I received the final mark from my exams and I have somehow managed to get an average of 90% for my exams/coursework in Spain! Literally in shock at how I did that, especially considering I thought I would fail linguistics-maybe a little bit of negative energy helps in exams! So, that’s probably my first and only year of my degree where I will achieve a first!
Valladolid will always hold a place in my heart, I doubt I’ll be returning (there honestly isn’t that much to do!) but the place has definitely grown on me! And the saying is true: It’s the people, not the place! I have met friends from all over the world and each of you has helped me enjoy this experience just that little bit more!
For now, I plan to finally enjoy the sun on our (manmade) beach after having spent my revision time stuck in my room, here’s to hoping I won’t burn!
Hasta luego chicos,
Hannah x
A little bit of Je ne sais quoi 