A letter to an Erasmus Student

Dear Erasmus student,

                  I have just finished my year abroad and I would be lying if I said that it wasn't the best year of my life so far. However, it was no picnic and perhaps if I had known some things beforehand it may have been easier. So, here is what I learnt on my year abroad and maybe you can take away some advice from it to help your life next year.

Firstly, even before you leave stop worrying!! If you are only a tiny bit worried or completely dreading the thought of moving abroad just stop! Enjoy the time you have with your friends and family at home and don't dwell on the future too much. I know the prospect of moving to a country or city you have never been to before is really flipping scary but you will be absolutely fine in about a week. Everything takes a little time to settle but once it does you will forget about home...at least until your parents Skype call you, worrying if you are still alive.

Now most people find places to live when they are in the country and it is a really good way of doing it. You get to see the flat and meet the people you live with. This next point I can not stress enough:

LIVE WITH NATIVE STUDENTS!!!!

1. Your language will get better over night.
2. You will get to do things a normal student in the city would do (The differences between a normal student and Erasmus student are disgustingly clear)
3. Foreign students are normally crazy so you a guaranteed to have a good time.
4. Their cooking is pretty darn good.

Also, try hanging out with the foreign students too. I know it is easy to flock to people who are from the same country as you (very guilty!) but it won't improve your language in the long run.

Don't stress too much about class or not understanding everything fully. You won't be the first or the last to feel like you being there is useless. It's not the end of the world. Also, don't pass up the opportunity to do something because you have class. If there is a trip or a party or something completely spontaneous happens then go with it. You are there to have fun as well as learn a bit.

Disappeared to Ibiza for a bit...

If you feel like you hate being abroad then talk to someone. Anyone. Don't keep it bottled up inside because it will just get you down and you will want to go home. If you are spending all your time on Skype and flying home you are truly wasting an incredible experience. The people who love you will still be there when you get back and not a lot will have changed with them.

Keep an open mind about the people you are going to meet. It's just like starting uni all over again, everyone is just as nervous as you are and keen to make friends. So don't cut anyone out straight away because you don't know if that weird American guy or the quiet German girl will do something incredibly lovely for you.

Finally, don't wish away your time because in a blink of an eye you will be on your flight back home, snivelling into the arms of your friends who carried your surplus stuff back about all the amazing people you met and the incredible things you have done. When your feet finally hit British soil you will be a completely different person than who you were a year ago.

Good luck and stay safe! x Pin It

Lazy Days.

For three weeks now I have been living in Italy and there is one thing that comes to my attention every day. Italians are the most laid back people in the world! They don't walk with a purpose or speed, their administration systems are completely lacking in organisation (which for an English girl makes everything all the more stressful) , there are no exact plans about what to do or how to do them just a rough idea about what is going on. You get the point. In a way it is nice to know that noone will care if I don't do something right on time but it is also a little frustrating when the only response you receive to questions is 'domani'.

So, being in the spirit of trying new experiences I have decided to embrace the Italian way of life.

Hanging out on Piazza Vecchia like the tourists before heading off for a glass of wine at one of the nearby caffes...somewhere in the world it was past 5pm.

Alcatraz, Milan. A huge warehouse of a nightclub, not exactly my cup of tea but and interesting experience all the same.

Il Fornaio in Citta Alta is literally the best bakery here. You can get pizza the size of your face, fresh sandwiches, pasta dishes or something a little bit sweet if you fancy. It beats a Boots meal deal any day!

The thickest hot chocolate you will ever have will be Italian.

Practising my baking skills like any good Italian girl should! These Slutty Brownies were AMAZING!

And finally lunch of Casoncelli alla Bergamasca with fresh orange juice and Pride and Prejudice to keep me company at Via Tasso Cafe. Pin It

Milano

After a night filled with possibly a little too much alcohol than was necessary, we made a spontaneous decision to visit Milano on Wednesday in order to escape Bergamo and Citta Alta. It was a bright and early start and we were on the train before nine o'clock in the morning...which was possibly the most disgusting feeling in the world! Before long we were in the city of Milano which looks so much different in the daylight so instantly we got ourselves lost. We kept claiming it was an adventure but eventually, we found ourselves outside of the famous Teatro alla Scala which set our bearings once more.

I am desperate to go and see the ballet or an opera there, I think it will be slightly different from the theatre back home i.e. missing the horrible orange subtitles. Tickets range from 10 to 115 euros but from what I have heard it is completely worth the price. If you are going sometime soon then here is an excellent article about the dress codes.

We quickly spun ourselves around and headed for the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to marvel at the architecture and beauty of the colonnade and to pretend like we could afford Prada shoes and Louis Vuitton bags...I mean who wouldn't!

Of course you can not take a visit to Milano without visiting the beautiful Duomo which is just breathtaking. The detail on the building is incredible and you can see each carving is completely unique. It is free to go inside which is equally as beautiful but, I don't really like taking pictures inside churches so you will have to find out for yourself what it is like.

Afterwards we went shopping and raided Zara where I bough the same top in two different colours. They were totally worth it! It was a long and eventful day so we hopped back on the train to enjoy a traditional Bergamascan meal with our fellow students, before heading off to bed.

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Sunday in the City

After living here a week I have discovered so much about the city, Italians and their way of life. For example shops shut at 1:30 and open again at 3:30 (this is when you discover you desperately need milk or some other commodity to stay alive in those two hours), pedestrians always wait for the green light and drivers go when they feel like it and you are only as good as you look (in Bergamo everyone wears their finest. Always.). This last one has made me more aware of what I chose to wear out of my severely empty wardrobe in the morning and I mostly have neat nails and hair now. Oh the difference a week makes!

So after spending a week in and out of the Citta Alta as a student, I felt it was time to become a fully fledged tourist for the day. Camera in hand and sensible shoes on, I grabbed a few of my new friends and we hopped on the bus to the top of the hill. This description however, does not explain the crowds of people on the streets, the shops bustling with shoppers and restaurants and cafes filled with families having lunch and drinks together. I thought Sunday was the day of rest and I was expecting to just do a little window shopping in some deserted streets. But, it seemed a full day of socialising is much preferred by the modern day Italians in the city.

We walked the streets and took some pictures, posing and such until out stomachs rumbled and we made our way to a pizzeria. It took a while to hose as we were so hungry and the food sounded so good but eventually decisions were made. Polenta and braised beef was my choice, as polenta is one of the main foods to eat here. Seriously, it is everywhere! It was almost like stew and dumplings which made me miss home. The rain began to pour as we sat chatting and so our trip was cut short. We wound through the streets taking a picture here and there ducking into a few shops and even a church (there is something about Italian churches that's so beautiful) eventually arriving at the funicular to ride back down to the lower city.

At ten to six it was still so busy so, Ellie and I wondered down the main shopping street and bought practically everything in Zara and Max Mara...in our heads. Oh student loan, how I wish there was more of you! But we have already made plans for a shopping trip. As I made my way home, I came upon a festa in the street next to mine and was lucky enough to see a group of Irish Dancers...which was ultimately bizzare but also a lovely experience. We eventually found out that it was something like Bergamo Day yesterday hence all the people. Let's see what it is like next week! Pin It

Bergamo ti amo!

Just a quick one today! I arrived in Bergamo on Monday, physically and emotionally exhausted and since then I haven't stopped.

I have had meetings, enrolment, friend making and classes as well as exploring this beautiful city. I wasn't so sure at first but now I am head over heels in love! Mountains and Piazze are my back drop for walking to class in the morning and it makes those 7 am starts totally worth it!

I have only just gained access to the internet so for now these post will be infrequent but tomorrow I plan to find the library and abuse it's wifi! However, for now I will leave you with some photos of my new home city in the hopes that you will love her too!

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