Studying Abroad in a Post-Covid World
The opportunity to undertake the study abroad programme at Leeds goes far beyond a mere desire to travel. It provides a gateway to expand your academic horizons and welcome new methods of teaching and perspectives overseas while making friendships and connections that last a lifetime. The general consensus from those who have previously embarked on a year abroad was that the experience moulded their educations in ways they could not have foreseen.
My experience of the study abroad was a little less conventional as Miss Rona reared her ugly head with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. Universities scrambled to help current students return home from their global experiences as borders began to close and flights cancelled. Like many others, I didn’t anticipate the longevity of the pandemic and had assumed my year abroad, due to commence in September 2020, would be unaffected. However, due to the uncertainty of the situation, we were advised by the study abroad office to hold off on paying for anything related to the study abroad year, including health insurance, accommodation, ad-hoc university fees etc. In August 2020, I made the difficult decision to postpone my year abroad due to the unprecedented uncertainty around international travel.
Fast forward a year, with the majority of COVID-19 restrictions lifted, I sat on the plane heading to Valencia more ready than ever to embark on this new adventure. While excitement was the presiding feeling, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was terrified and wondering if I had made the right decision; Was I going to make friends? Had I chosen the right destination? Would I cope with the language barrier?
The pandemic had set me back a year and Brexit had since happened meaning I was now required to apply for a student visa to study in Europe. The visa process was far from simple! I found myself swamped with paper-work; translations, legalisations, medical certificates and was on the phone every day to try and book an appointment at the embassy! Although very stressful, it was all part of the experience but be sure to give yourself plenty of time as it is a lengthy process!
Arriving in a new country alone can be overwhelming and it is completely normal to feel homesick or experience culture shock. When my boyfriend left me after having set up me new room in the student accommodation, I remember sitting on my bed and just thinking: What next!? Little did I know at that time what an incredible year I had ahead of me. I soon met lots of people from all over the world and was lucky enough to make some of the best friends I’ve ever had. We spent the first few weeks exploring the beautiful streets of Valencia, practising the lingo, soaking up the Spanish sunshine on the beach and drinking far too much sangria!
I can’t recommend Valencia enough as a study abroad destination. It is a beautiful city with such a buzz about it, year-round sunshine and bursting with culture. The most memorable festival I witnessed during my time in Valencia was definitely ‘Las Fallas’, a traditional annual celebration where Valencians commemorate Saint José. Las Fallas is definitely not for the faint of heart with Mascletàs, a pyrotechnic spectacle of firecrackers, and fireworks taking place every day and street parties every night for the duration of March! The whole city comes together for an explosion of art, colour, music and culture – it was an experience like no other!
The University was very different to Leeds with most classes lasting a minimum of 2 hours. I took a module called ‘Prácticas Externas’ which I highly recommend to anyone considering Valencia as their study abroad destination. This is basically a placement as a Conversation Assistant in the English Studies Department for Erasmus Students designed to help you integrate more fully into life at the University. I assisted in a variety of English language classes that ranged from first year students working towards summer examinations to a post-graduate scheme called ‘English for travelling’. Having never done anything like this before, when I signed up for the ‘Prácticas’ module I was throwing myself into the figurative ‘deep end’. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it led me to run my own private tutoring classes with a family in Alboraya.
The ‘Erasmus Life Programme’ formed one of the biggest parts of my year abroad. This organisation arranges excursions and trips in the Community of Valenciana and further afield. These trips enhanced my appreciation of Spain’s history and culture, developed my geography skills and gave ample opportunity for me to practice my Spanish-Speaking. While my friends and I did lots of Erasmus day trips, we also travelled outside of this and spent lots of weekends exploring Spanish cities, such as Barcelona, Sevilla, Granada and Madrid for the infamous Christmas markets! In the summer term, we managed to get flights with RYANAIR to the Balearic islands for less than 15 euros return which was crazy and the flight took about 20 minutes!! On another occasion, we took a coach from Valencia to Madrid to go to Elrow music festival. We left at 6am Friday morning, partied in Madrid from noon till midnight and took the same coach back at midnight arriving back in Valencia at 6am on the Saturday morning! Whether it was catching a 20-minute flight to an island or a five hour coach to spend a matter of hours in the capital, we were always on the move.
All that’s left to say is if you’re on the fence about doing a year abroad, take the leap, you won’t regret it. Be positive and go with an open mindset- you have nothing to lose and everything to gain! Living abroad has been such an enriching experience and to avoid sounding cliché, I’ve had an absolute dream of a year, made friends for life and am leaving with a head and a heart full of memories (and 4 suitcases)!
Header image credit: Imogen Hockings