My Spanish Term Abroad in Numbers

Hi chums!

My term abroad went so fast and it's only now that I've got some time to think about it all that I'm realising how much I actually did - who knew?! So I've decided to do a summary blog post and write down all the numbers because the OCD in me loves all that.


So, without further ado...

Life

- 15 weeks

My term abroad has been 15 weeks of living in Spain, 11 of which were compulsory as part of my university course, and 4 which were self-inflicted- sorry, I mean I chose to do them.

- 2 suitcases

Last year I spent 3 months working in Florida and I took the same amount of luggage and all I needed was shorts and t-shirts. This time, however, I had to be pretty minimalistic (well, minimalistic by my standards) because in León it was super cold. It actually snowed there a few days before I went so I had to take a mix of cold and warm clothes and if I'm honest my greatest achievement of the whole trip was fitting all of that variety into my cases.

Language

- Level B2.2

I feel like I have learnt so much from my classes in León and also from living and speaking with Spanish people. Learning a language in your own country can only get you so far but when you go to a country where it is the native language you can improve so much faster.


Everyone who I have ever asked 'when do you know you're fluent?' has always said 'oh, it just suddenly clicks'. Well, I still don't know what this means because even though I can speak (kinda) and my listening comprehension has gotten so much better, I still feel far from saying I am fluent.


When I first got back from my term abroad I felt a bit disappointed in myself because I felt like maybe I hadn't tried hard enough to speak, but in reality I feel like it takes a lot longer to get fluent and I'm happy with the progress I have made.


- 264 hours of classes

The classes at the Centro de Idiomas in León are so good. After 2 years of not really enjoying uni lectures, I was really surprised how much I loved going to class in León. The teachers were so lovely and helpful and they really made a difference with my language learning.


Travel

- 15 trips
- 13 different cities/towns
- 8 autonomous regions
- 2 different countries
- 8 flights
- 25 trains
- 11 buses

Everywhere I've Been:


  • Madrid - 31st March - 1st April
  • Oviedo - 14th April
  • Ponferrada - 23rd April
  • Valencia - 27th April - 1st May
  • Madrid (with sister) - 5 - 7th  May
  • Toledo - 6th May
  • Madrid (with au pair fam) - 11th - 13th May
  • Morocco - 19th May - 23rd May
  • Las Cuevas de Valporquero - 26th May
  • Galicia (Santiago de Compostela & A Coruña) - 2nd - 3rd June
  • Seville - 7th - 10th June
  • Barcelona - 16th - 21st June
  • Madrid (with au pair fam) - 6th - 8th July
  • Salamanca - 15th July
  • Segovia - 21st - 22nd July
Autonomous Regions I've Been:
- Madrid
- Castilla y León
- Asturias
- Galicia
- Castilla-La Mancha
- Cataluña
- Galicia
- Andalucía

There are 17 autonomous communities in Spain, so I've almost been to half of them. Visiting the other 9 are 100% on my bucket list.

*     *     *

I have loved touring all around Spain in my spare time and can't believe I've gotten to go to so many places.


I feel like I have really make the most of my term abroad and although at times it has been hard, it has definitely been worth it. I have a new-found love of Spain and Spanish and I can't wait to go back again!

Love as always,

Emma
xxx

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