Top 8 aims for my time abroad.

1. Make new friends from across the world.

I have quite a few international-student friends here at university in the UK and I adore the way in which an international friendship can open up your eyes to a world of strange customs, alien cultures and foreign ideas that are otherwise inaccessible. From the traditional way to alert your waiter to an empty teapot in a dim sum restaurant, learning to accept that the English interpretation of ‘personal space’ is very different to the Spanish or from knowing how many kisses to give when greeting your Mexican/Italian friend, international friendships can be a real form of education, not only about other cultures, but also about your own.

Whilst abroad, I hope to meet people from all different cultures, backgrounds and countries in order to expand my knowledge of the world. I love the little cultural differences that come with international friendships and, however embarrassing those cultural faux-pas are that are likely to occur, I hope that learning about another culture from new friends can only be a positive.

2. Travel.

How many people say that ‘travel broadens the mind’? I must admit that I do agree with this statement, travel does broaden the mind. In the 20 years that I’ve been alive, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to France, Spain, Italy and Norway. I have fond memories of seaside holidays here in the UK, hiking holidays in Scotland and luxurious cruises to the Western Mediterranean and Norwegian fjords. 

My year abroad will give me the opportunity to travel to places I have only dreamed of visiting and new places that friends have recommended. In Arlon I will be on the border of Luxembourg, a country which has been described as ‘un beau pays, un pays riche’ by a friend. In addition to travelling in Belgium and Luxembourg, I plan to make the most of my time in Spain by travelling with the ESN (Erasmus Student’s Network) all over the country to locations steeped in culture and completely different from my hometown. To name a few, Granada, the Basque country, Valencia and Madrid make the Spanish wish-list.

3. Learn how to avoid embarrassment at the airport.

Flying doesn’t scare me, in fact, I find the prospect rather exciting! However, airports do scare me a little. I haven’t flown since I was a child and only have a handful of hazy memories of the experience, and they all relate to airline food. 

Even though it is totally irrational, I find myself feeling nervous about getting lost in the airport and being alone in the terminal. As if having to explain why I can’t walk through the  detector wearing an insulin pump weren’t humiliating enough (everyone always stares at you with suspicion when you have to be taken to the side to be searched, even though it’s through no fault of your own), I have to do it in an unfamiliar building and in an environment that I am not accustomed to.

However, hopefully the travel opportunities that present themselves throughout the year will cure me of this irrational fear and I hope to return to the UK unfazed by the return flight.

4. Improve my spoken French and Spanish (and perhaps my Italian if the opportunity presents itself).

Whilst I know that I can converse in French and Spanish at an equal level, I still don’t quite believe it. Even after a phone call to my mentor in Belgium that was entirely in French, I still doubt my ability to speak the language. I forgive myself for thinking this about Italian because I’ve only studied the language for 2 years and whilst I feel fairly confident writing, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to develop my oral skills.

Hopefully, living in a francophone/hispanic country will allow me to completely immerse myself in the culture and language and will give me the confidence I crave. Only when I’ve dreamed in French and Spanish, will I know I’m on the right track!

5. Experience Belgian and Asturian gastronomy.

If someone were to ask me what I thought the best things about the English culture were, unfortunately, I doubt I would make reference to the food. I don’t mind English food, but I think that it’s not the best thing that our culture has to offer.

However, consider Belgium and Oviedo. What are they famous for? Belgium is famous for waffles, fries, beer and chocolate. Oviedo is famous for cheese and cider. I’ve been given two amazing locations in terms of the food, intend to try a bit of everything and hope to figure out how it affects my blood sugars!

6. Keep a diary.

I have never managed to keep a diary for more than a couple of weeks but aim to keep a diary for the duration of my entire year abroad. Madness? Perhaps. But after weeks of thinking over how to record the more personal and psychological aspects of the year, I have come to the conclusion that it must be a diary. My parents have just bought me a camera that I can take away (as an advanced birthday gift) so perhaps I’ll use this to develop my own picture diary. 

7. Learn to take semantic errors in my stride and move on with a hearty laugh.

Oh, the amount of embarrassing mistakes I’ve made so far in my years of language learning. If there’s a way to accidentally say something hilarious or inappropriate, I will manage it. These are the things you learn the hard way, trust me. 

Nothing is more embarrassing than meaning to write ‘donner un baiser’ and writing ‘baiser’ as a verb… in your A-Level mock essay. I feel sorry for the teacher who had to mark it. Furthermore, Spanish conversations have provided many occasions to look foolish, it appears that the correct answer to ¿Qué tal la comida? is not ‘Muy bien’ and well… don’t even get me started on the mistakes I’ve made when trying to pronounce Italian double consonants. 

However embarrassing these things are at the time, I’ve almost learnt to laugh and move on. I hope that the year abroad will develop my ability to laugh heartily about the many mistakes I’ll make and will hopefully allow me to learn a few do’s and don’ts! 

8. Have fun!

In spite of the difficulties that will go hand in hand with living in a foreign country, I aim to enjoy every minute. Who knows if I’ll ever get the chance to do something like this again? Every moment will be precious and I’ll grasp every opportunity that comes forward with both hands.