Student’s Name: Siobhan Golden
UL Course: Arts (Joint Honours)
Academic Year: 2016 / 2017
Semester: Autumn
Host University: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Host University Code: E MADRID03
Student Experience:
I arrived in Madrid after already pre-booking my accommodation online so I immediately
had a place to go. It was easy to get a taxi. The semester started at the end of September. I
was welcomed to UCM by a one hour orientation that was for all international students. The
orientation was mainly in Spanish and was set on the main campus. I went to the campus one
hour earlier than the orientation was supposed to start because the directions to the building
in was held in were not very clear. Because I had previously studied Spanish and had just
finished my coop in Argentina I had a good understanding of the Spanish language so that
was not a problem for me. The orientation told us about the UCM Erasmus society that offers
various activities and ways to interact and make friends. For example, they organised trips for
great prices and dinners. The first dinner was good because I got to know a couple of other
students. After orientation, we were told to visit the Erasmus office of our faculty to get a
brief introduction and to get our documents signed. The orientation was confusing because
UCM has so many students and is such a huge university that they didn’t tell us much about
where specifically we should go or get our student cards or anything. It was all very general
and laid back. The university offered a language course before the semester began which you
sign up to after you receive the acceptance email. They also offered classes throughout the
semester however; I didn’t take part in them as I felt I didn’t need them and the cost was 200
euro. Spain isn’t like other European cities where almost everyone can speak English. A lot
of people could not therefore I would recommend learning the language or having a small
grasp of it living here.
Institutional practices/ support:
The psychology faculty in UCM is located on Somosaguas campus which is on the outskirts
of the city. By public transport it would take a half an hour to get there from the main UCM
campus. To get to this campus you can take the metro or bus ‘A’. The metro took more time
for me because of where I lived so I took the bus. The first few days were confusing. The
Erasmus office was not very well sign posted so it wasn’t easy to find and when I asked
people, many of them didn’t know where it was. When I finally found it, I met Irene the
Erasmus coordinator. She was lovely and was able to answer the hundreds of questions I had.
You have to make your own timetable which was difficult because it was not clear online
which courses were available. We were given three weeks to sample classes and choose
which ones we were going to study during the semester. I chose all third year classes as I
thought they were very interesting. However, this was not the greatest idea because I did not
have a great understanding of psychology as I had only studied four modules during my two
years in college. It was difficult to keep up with my classmates who were studying straight
psychology and seemed miles ahead. To register for these classes we had to sign a document
and bring it to the Erasmus office where they registered us for classes. I met two Erasmus
students from Scotland on the first day which was a comfort because the rest of our
classmates were Spanish students and seemed to be in a different zone to me. The other
Erasmus students were just as confused as I was trying to find classes. The classes were all
held in English although sometimes they would use Spanish to explain things or they would
give us Spanish readings. Classes were very different to UL. It was more similar to a
secondary school set up. Our classroom never changed and the class sizes were very small.
Each class had between fifteen and twenty five people. There were no lectures. UCM had its
own Sulis site where some material was put up but not all. The lecturers were all very helpful
and intelligent. They really cared about how we were getting on living in Madrid however I
felt they could have been more organised or clear at times. Their levels of English were not
great at times. The material was difficult and I struggled to keep up with some things because
of lack of clarity. There were assignments and homework due almost every day yet it hardly
ever accounted for any percentages or marks towards the final grade. After about three
weeks, we were given the chance to get student cards. The semester started at the end of
September and continued until mid-February. This meant that I had to go back for classes and
exams in January. I got some of the lecturers to move the exams to earlier dates while others
allowed me to sit them in Ireland so that I would not miss the first three weeks of classes in
UL. I recommend organising this with them as early as you can because they are not very
organised. The library is located in the Psychology building. It is big and has plenty of space
to study. The people working in the library did not speak English. My classmates were very
nice. I found that I had to put myself out there and then they were very friendly and helpful
but if you didn’t they would ignore you.
UCM offer the chance to get a buddy at the beginning of the year which is usually a
fourth year student to help you learn about the university and feel comfortable. However I did
not sign up for this option. You get to sign up after your acceptance email to the University
months before your Erasmus.
I had read many reviews about doing Erasmus in Madrid and I learned that many
people recommend looking for a house/ apartment after arriving so you can properly see it
but I did not opt to do this because I felt that it was too risky and I wanted to have everything
in order before going. Other Irish girls from UL who were coming to Madrid messaged me
offering me a place in their apartment that they found so I took that. We lived with another
Spanish girl and a German girl. The girls found the place on a website for student housing in
Spain called Aluni.es. The apartment was perfect it was located in Rivera de Manzanares. It
was about a fifteen minute walk from Principe Pio (the closest metro stop). Sometimes it
seemed like it would be better to live closer to Sol (the centre) but after sometime we were
used to commuting in and out. The house was in a good location for me to catch the ‘A’ bus
to the university as there was a stop only 15 minutes away from the apartment. The apartment
was located in a quiet area but there was a supermarket and post office beside it. It was a
converted basement which I thought would be rough but when I arrived, it was perfect. There
were six single bed rooms, a common area, Wi-Fi, washing machine, dishwasher, kitchen and
two bathrooms. We never had any problems with the house. The landlord lived close by so if
there was anything to sort out he would do it immediately. The rent cost 360 euro a month
and we paid it by direct debit. Our landlord always emailed once a month when it was due
and he also calculate the bills for us too. I didn’t bother to get a student account in Spain,
although Santander bank offers them. Rent is more expensive closer to Sol, the centre, but I
found where we lived was perfect.
Madrid has a good transport system. It’s easy to get around once you understand the
metro or the bus. I had no trouble with either. The metros run from 6am until 1am and the
buses run from 7am until 11am. Both are very cheap as you can purchase ‘una tarjeta
transporte’, the student transport card, which is only 20 euro a month. These cover the cost
for the inner city buses, metro, trains and some other buses that go to towns outside of
Madrid. For example I took day trips to towns called Toledo and Segovia free of cost. I
would highly recommend getting one of these cards as soon as you arrive. You can book an
appointment to get one by googling transport card Madrid. The people who work in the office
spoke very little English so just make sure you have your passport, a photocopy of it and 10
euro when going to your appointment. You can download apps that inform you of the bus or
metro times which was handy.
Cultural differences:
I think it’s important to try and get out of your comfort zone. I know I lived with Irish girls
but after the first month I tried to hang out with new people. My classmates started to invite
me to do things with them. They were mainly Spanish. Hanging out with them was great
because I got to see ‘the real Madrid’. We ate a large lunch around 1pm and had a small
dinner or tapas around 10.30pm. They showed me the different music they listen to and how
they dance. The music was called Regaetton and their dances usually involved lots of hip
shaking which still seems impossible. I think the people in general in Madrid came across
unfriendly but if you make any effort at all with them they will try with back. Spanish people
have a different concept of time compared with Irish people. They might tell you to meet
them at such a time but being a half an hour later to that time is no problem and is very
normal. The weather was great when I arrived in September. It was around 30 degrees for
about three weeks. It hardly ever rained and the sky was always clear but it did gradually get
colder. It became weather for wearing coats and scarves towards the end of November.
Madrid is a vibrant city with a whole range of things to do at night. There is a number of
different clubs which all have different types of music. Spanish people normally go to eat
around 9.30 or after so if you are going for food it is always busiest at that time. Clubs open
at 11.30pm and close at 6am so it is difficult to keep up with their nightlife.
Hints and Tips:
I would recommend doing a walking tour when you arrive because you will find your way
around better than when you do a bus tour. There are plenty of groups and companies that
offer lots of these. Madrid is not a very big city and I got to know it very quickly. I got a
Spanish sim card almost as soon as I arrived. This was good to have for data usage and even
for things as simple as ordering take-away. The Spanish are always using whatsapp so this
app is very useful to have. After a number of weeks, I got to know some of my classmates
who were Spanish and they added me to their class whatsapp group. This was good because
we talked about class or things we didn’t understand. I was shocked because a lot of the time
they seemed as confused by the lecturers as I was. Sometimes you get asked for your passport
number at random times like sitting exams or signing forms so it is a good idea to have that
written down or to learn it off. I was lucky enough to find a great GAA club in Madrid where
I was able to play gaelic football and meet new people. The GAA club has a mixture of
players from all around the world which surprised me. It was nice to feel relaxed and have a
reminder of home but also be able to meet people from Spain, Canada and the US who love
the sport. I would highly recommend joining the GAA team whether you play football or not
as they offer much more than a sport, they were more like a community. I brought my laptop
with me which I think was a good idea because I was able to my assignments at home when
the library was too busy. If you want to buy stamps you can buy them in tobacco kiosks that
are all over the city. I think its important to try and get out of your comfort zone. The best
way to avoid homesickness is to immerse yourself in the new culture and city. Try to speak
Spanish even if you only know a very limited amount.