¡Madrid, te quiero en colores!

¡Madrid, te quiero en colores! Those are the first five words to describe Madrid. I just love that city. It has many sightseeings such as el Parque del Retiro, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real and a lots of other beautiful sights of interest, plus it is a very good city to go shopping! I've been back in the Netherlands for a couple of months now and I promised you to write a post about my Erasmus experience in Madrid. And you know what... I just don't know where to start. There's so much to tell!

As you already know, I'm in my third year of university and concerning my study, that's the year to go on study abroad. I was so lucky to be chosen to go to Universidad Europea de Madrid and I still cannot thank my tutor enough for this opportunity.

It was August 24th and the time had come. Early in the morning my plane to Madrid took off. The first couple of days me and my parents wandered through the city and discovered all the beautiful and famous places. For 4 months I lived in Villaviciosa de Ódon, a neighborhood that is located 30 minutes by bus from Madrid city centre. The uni was closely located, every morning I walked (unless it was raining) for about 20 minutes and when turning home I took the bus for 5 minutes. I chose to live in Villa because of the location of the university. In the beginning I was not very happy, because I really wanted to live Madrid city centre. Afterward, I was fine with it, because an everyday journey for an hour from house to school and back seemed not so funny, especially since I had classes in the evening too.

On September 3rd the first uni day started. I already went to the uni earlier that week for the applications, which was, by the way, a complete mess!! I'll save you the details haha. Anyway, still every single day I was amazed by the University. The campus consists of 5 enormous buildings including a lake, palm trees, swimming pools, sport opportunities, etc, etc. I had never seen such a thing, at least, not in the Netherlands! The first two weeks I attended a Spanish language course and on the first day I already met so many people! Everyone was so kind and open towards each other!! During breaks and after our classes, me and my friends were relaxing and tanning at the swimming pool. The weather was so hot, lovely days!

As the days passed by, more and more people got to know each other. The point was reached where people had formed their friends and we made our own group: 'Madness in Madrid'. Every week was a new adventure. We organized several things to do, such as going out for dinner or making dinner together, visiting a bullfight in a real arena, going to Madrid Vogue Fashion Night Out, celebrating the local 'fiestas' with firework and fairs, hiring bikes to have a tour through the city, watching a live Champions League match between Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam, etc.. or just hanging out at friends' places, watching movies etcetc.. Also, a couple of friends organized pool- and house parties!

Erasmus parties were most of the time organized by EuropeanVibe (an organization that arranges parties and trips for Erasmus students). Every Wednesday there was an Erasmus party at Orange Café and every Thursday at Joy Eslava. It was totally up to you whether you wanted to go or not. There is also a great club in Madrid called Kapital. It has 7 floors and every floor has a different type of music. The highest floor is the lounge area which has an open roof.. Read: you are able to watch and feel the night sky!! Can you imagine how beautiful that is?!

Two of my friends came to visit me for 4 days. I was happy to see them again and I really appreciated it! 

Haha it seems like I only did nice things, but of course I also went to the uni everyday and I studied hard for my exams.. and with good results too, I passed my courses!! My courses varied from easy to hard. The way of teaching and making exams was also different compared to my study in the Netherlands.

Well, you've probably read it a couple of times, but I just can't tell you enough how much I loved it!! No day passes by without thinking about my study abroad, the city, the perfect moments.. but most of all, the people, the crew, the family. We've created a cozy, crazy group with whom we've experienced a lot of fun times, and they all made it the best study abroad I could ever imagine!! Shout out to all of them, thank youu!! <3

Time flies when you're having fun

Wow! Today it's exactly two months ago that my study abroad in Madrid started. Cannot believe it's already two months since I've been here. I was supposed to write more blogs about my experiences and adventures, but honestly, it seems like days are much shorter and I have too little time to do all the things I want to do. This is just a quick update and very soon I will write another post (with more pictures) about Madrid, the university, Erasmus and all the people I've met so far. 

After living in a foreign country and city for a while, you become familiar with a culture you only could imagine in your mind. Since I'm here, I have been able to meet new places, new people and other cultures. It's not that there's a whole new world opened for me. No, it's just the fact that there's a realization of how life in other cultures operates. It's not completely different from my home country, but being here still changes your life a bit. Without any doubt I can say that Madrid feels like home. It surprised me a bit that this feeling happened soon after my arrival. I mean, the first couple of days when I was on my way to school and I saw the mountains a bit further away, I thought ''wow, this is so beautiful, I wish those mountains were in Holland too!''. However, right now, for sure I think those mountains are beautiful, but for me it became 'normal' to look at it. Also before I even came to Madrid I was so excited to see the city myself and nowadays I just take the bus and go shopping like I'm going to shop in my home town. Anyway, this doesn't mean that the city has become boring haha, no I think Madrid is a beautiful city and I know I could spend many more months here without getting bored. 

In two months exactly today, I will be leaving the city, the university and allll the amazing people I've met so far. Time flies when you're having fun, so let's make the best of it and enjoyyyy as much as possible!! :)

New adventures

Now that summer is almost over, it's time to face it: a new school year. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this year won't be the same as all the other school years. Nope, this year I am going to study in Madrid for one semester. This Friday I will be leaving my home country for four months! Can't believe it's my turn to go on study abroad. I still remember the moment I choose to study European Studies and I already was looking forward to my study abroad. And right now, it is actually happening.. In 4 days, aaah!!

I'm reaaaaaaally excited!!! But still, when I lay in my bed, different scenarios are running through my head. I mean, it's a big step I'm taking. Away from everything that is familiar. But you know, I am ready for it. I'm ready for new adventures, ready for meeting new people, and ready for living in a different culture and a different environment. I'm ready to go!

There is this tiny issue though.. What to pack with me to Madrid?! I already got some things together, but I have to say it is not easy to decide what I want to bring with me and what not. If possible, I'd bring my whole closet with me. On the other hand, if I don't bring that much with me, I have a good excuse to buy 'that' cute shirt and 'those' gorgeous boots haha.

So yes, there's still some planning to do before I leave. Buying the last necessary things and finishing packing my stuff. Oh, and if you have any tips about Madrid, feel free to share them!