Not a goodbye

One second you’re stepping on a plane with shaking knees and teary eyes at the end of summer, and the next you’re already saying goodbye to your new home and family with those same teary eyes. I guess it’s true what they say: time flies, you’ll be back before you know it, and you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. My dear Madrid, although I am (not so secretly) terribly happy to return to my loving family, friends and boyfriend, I will miss you dearly. You’ve been my home for the past 5 months, and that leaves a mark. 

Questiontime (Q&A)

Usually I’m amazing *coughcough* at keeping up with my friends and family, whether they live just around the block or far away (like another country far away). It’s something I’m very used to after moving so often: some of my closest friends actually live the furthest away from me. Needless to say, I thought keeping in touch while in Madrid would be a breeze (nothing new!). However, it turns out that the Erasmuslife is, how do I say this, just a teeny tiny bit more hectic than my life in Belgium…

STUDYing or ’StuDYING’?

For about a month and a half already I have been enjoying the Spanish educational system here in Madrid at Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM or Complu for the friends). It’s quite different from what I’m used to: more teaching hours per class with mandatory attendance, expected input and cooperation, grades based on weekly tasks and tests… And yet (not so unexpectedly,) I actually like it.