Normally during term time, I’d be somewhere in Leeds but this year I’ve opted for a change of scene and I’m studying in Coimbra, Portugal. I study Portuguese and English Literature so my year abroad is a compulsory part of my degree before I go into final year… that’s not to say I felt forced to do it, I knew I wanted to do a year abroad when I was initially applying to university for a completely different degree. So far, it’s been great; I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I’d highly recommend doing a year abroad, but it has been a difficult adjustment and has not come without its challenges. Here are some things I wish I’d known before going into my first semester abroad: welcome to my Year Abroad Survival Guide.
Preparations
Give yourself plenty of time to get everything sorted before leaving. I should have started preparing much earlier, and it meant I had to travel to Portugal to start the semester and later travel back to collect my student visa. It gave me a nice break from being abroad and a chance to go home. There isn’t a reading week or a half-term break here (reading week, I miss you) so going back to the UK gave me a bit of a pause and a chance to reset before the second half of the semester. Don’t be scared of doing it this way, but always double check with the consulate for your host country that this is possible.
Don’t freak out if you do fall behind with your preparations, life happens and there’s always a solution. Lean on those around you, talk to your friends and family, and ask for extra support if you feel you need it. Moving abroad is daunting and can be very overwhelming but, like I said, there’s always a solution.
Accommodation
Research how students in your host country normally find their accommodation. I’m not sure what other countries are like but in Portugal, unlike the UK, there is very little university-owned student accommodation and the private student housing companies that exist often charge a fortune to rent a room. My university has a few of their own residence halls but spaces fill up quickly and, because I received my acceptance much later than Portuguese students, by the time I applied, all the places had been filled and I had to find my own accommodation. In Portugal, landlords will often advertise their properties on Facebook. Although my flat is listed on the university accommodation website as privately owned, I actually found out about it through my (now) flatmate who messaged me after I posted something on a Facebook group for international students. It may sound a bit weird to students from the UK because we don’t tend to look there for accommodation (trust me, there are scams on there so please be careful) but this is how a lot of students here find their accommodation.
Don’t be scared of starting off with temporary accommodation. If you’d prefer to find somewhere temporary and find somewhere permanent once you’ve moved so you have the opportunity to view the property in person, don’t be worried about doing so. Do what works for you, whatever will make the transition to living abroad easier for you.
Travelling
Travelling around the country you’re studying in is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture and (if you’re travelling with friends) it’s the perfect way to get to know people other better. I went to Aveiro last semester with some friends, some of whom I’d met the morning we left Coimbra, and by the time we left (thanks to a long lunch and coffee) I had got to know them fairly well.
If and when you are able to travel, research the best way to travel around the country, here it tends to be Flixbus as train tickets can be a little bit pricy – a Flixbus ticket from Coimbra to Lisbon usually costs me £5.99!
Language
Doing a modern languages degree means I’m only able to enrol in classes taught in Portuguese. It’s meant that I’ve learned content that wouldn’t necessarily be taught at university back home and has sparked an interest for Mozambican literature. However, it’s incredibly intimidating to go into a class with native speakers and to not understand all of the content like your peers are able to. Personally, I’ve never felt 100% confident when speaking Portuguese and I moved abroad not feeling I was at the level that my university said I should be at, so I enrolled in the Portuguese language course that they offer here for international students. The classes have helped so much, with my other classes and exams, and as a result I’ve been able to keep up with formally learning the language and to speak it in a more relaxed, comfortable environment. Whether you’re a modern languages student who is in the same position as I was, or whether you’re someone who wants to just learn the language while abroad, definitely look into if your host university offers language classes or if there are any classes available outside of university.
University
Check how you are assessed and try to find out more information about the style of classes. In Coimbra, pretty much all of my exams are in person, my classes are 2 hours long, and there aren’t any separate seminars and lectures (the lectures are interactive so it’s kind of like the two styles combined). Double check if you need to register for exams and how it works when enrolling for classes or if you want to change your classes. Make a note of all the dates relevant to you so when it comes to booking flights home for holidays or quick breaks, you aren’t missing any important exams or deadlines.
If you’re also a modern languages student, all of your classes will probably have to be in the language of the country you’re studying in. Grant yourself a bit of grace because you’ll most likely be in classes with native speakers so don’t expect to fully understand everything all the time. They don’t record their classes here so I’ve been creating voice recordings of each lecture. The transcribe function on Microsoft Word is a lifesaver and has come in handy more times than I can count. Use these transcriptions to make sure you’ve fully understood the content and update your notes as needed. Doing this means you can be fully present in the lecture, rather than wholly focused on typing up all your notes then and there.
Also be sure to check things like closures during lunch before moving. I expected there to be breaks for lunch (it used to be commonplace in Portugal but it only tends to happen in smaller Portuguese cities now) but got caught out when I forgot to double check when these breaks were at student services, which meant I ended up waiting on campus for help for 2 hours.
Everyday life
Don’t underestimate how important speaking in everyday situations is. Having these conversations in restaurants and supermarkets are vital to adjusting to living in a different country and, whether you’re someone who wants to learn the language from scratch or you’re a languages student, will develop your language skills.
Another tip for everyday life while studying abroad is doing an online food shop. I find going food shopping really overwhelming in the UK, let alone in a different country where everything’s in a different language. Not only is it less overwhelming to do my food shopping online but it’s also quicker and easier to find the cheapest products. If you’re going to do it this way, be sure to shop around a little bit (no pun intended) and find out which supermarket is cheapest.
All things friendship and relationships
FOMO, friends and long-distance relationships can be difficult to navigate while abroad. I’ve muted my group chats with my friends as I found that every time I got a notification from the chat, I got intense FOMO. I unmute the chats when I go home and periodically check on them while I’m away but this way I don’t feel like I’m missing out so much. That being said, make sure to keep messaging your friends from back home as often as you can and maintain constant communication with them so you can maintain these friendships.
Constant communication is also incredibly important to navigating a long-distance relationship. My boyfriend and I have been having regular date nights (at least once per week). We’ve done games night (my boyfriend has quizzed me on various topics, we occasionally play golf and pool too), movie nights (we watch together on Facetime by counting each other in and syncing up a TV show or movie). Other suggestions I’ve been given from friends include online escape rooms, Cards against Humanity online and BuzzFeed quizzes – take your pick, they’re all great options. My biggest piece of advice would be to remember that being long distance will come to an end eventually and try to look forward to the light at the end of (what seems to be a very long) tunnel.