Ears ringing with the sound of clanging bells, we are shuffling in a thunderstorm behind a herd of mountain goats. It’s lush green La Vera which is at the foot of the Sierra de Gredos, Spain. Somehow this wasn’t what I had pictured for my Erasmus. Neither Hitchhiking a few days earlier with some old Extremaduran farmers, sitting on top of a bucket of agricultural machinery and watching the wheel warily which was held together, not too securely, with duct tape. (To explain, we had walked a 60km stretch of Via de la Plata from Salamanca to Guijuelo. About to miss the last bus back after a long day’s walking these chaps gave us a lift to a nearby bus station) But then, they do say life throws some surprises at you.
Vocab wise it was difficult to be prepared for all eventualities. When a group of walking stick-bearing rapid-Spanish speaking neighbours appeared outside my door the other evening, I was confused to say the least. The water pipe in our flat had burst and was flooding the flats below. At this moment I peered into my room, to see water leaking through my walls. Wrapped in a towel having come out of the shower (ironically) it was not the best way to meet my elderly neighbours.
From housing to health scenarios the drama continued. I told my teacher my friend had been envenenada; his face dropped in concern. It was only weeks later that it turned out I had reported that she had been poisoned- think snake venom/ vial of poison sort of incident, not just food poisoning. No wonder he appeared very surprised at her swift recovery.
There is no way to do Erasmus, no rigid format and the time certainly involves some surprises as well as challenges. From trying to work out a foreign health system to sitting in a class on Islamic Art taught in Spanish cluelessly. Not to mention having to wait to eat dinner till it is culturally acceptable. Getting yourself into a whole range of scrapes and confusion speaking in a different language. Being away from your nearest and dearest.
But the rewards are huge. It’s not at every point in your life you can be in a football team or eating dinner with people from all sides of the world: Italy, Brazil, Peru, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand to name a few. It’s so enriching to form these friendships, learn that little bit more about the world and realise that language is not a barrier; our Spanish may have fault lines but friendships are formed nevertheless.
Erasmus is getting to know a different city: its traditions, customs and festivals. In Semana Santa, the city is full of processions and beating drums. Yesterday, an acoustic sound system crossed the Plaza Mayor with what appeared to be traffic cones elevated on some sort of telegraph pole belting out tunes. It’s trying different things: buying a pair of skates, going painting with watercolours, putting yourself down for a 10km and going batacha dancing into the early hours. All this and the incredible language immersion.
My eyes are lit up in the soft shades of plaza mayor, months spent dreaming of Salamanca later. The clock chimes echoing around the square amidst the bustle of restaurants closing up for the night. I’ll never live this moment again, but equally feel so glad to have been able to.
Snapshot of wonders 