Prepare for the cultural adjustment of living in Spain
Moving to Spain to study means adapting to a different daily timetable, to one or two new languages and to other habits in class and at home. This post covers how students can prepare before leaving, what usually feels different in the first weeks, and which support exists once they arrive. The practical figures come from Spain’s official tourism site, the Spanish government and the Erasmus+ programme.
Before leaving: learn about the country
A stay abroad is exciting, and it also means leaving family, friends and routines for months. Some sadness or doubt before departure is normal. It helps to agree on how to stay in touch with people at home, and to keep a clear note of the reasons for going, to reread when doubts appear.
The school or programme office usually helps with courses, documents and housing. Mental preparation is the student’s own work. Reading about the history, geography, politics, food and music of Spain, watching Spanish films and talking to people who have lived there all make the first weeks easier to understand. A course on Spanish art or history has the same effect: a visitor who already knows who built the Alhambra in Granada or the Royal Palace in Madrid sees more than a building. The post on what to arrange before studying in Spain covers the paperwork side.
Language: Spanish and the co-official languages
Language is the main tool for settling in. Castilian, known abroad as Spanish, is the official language of the whole country under Article 3 of the Constitution. Other languages are also official in their own regions, as the Spanish government explains: Catalan in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, Valencian in the Valencian Community, Galician in Galicia, and Basque in the Basque Country and the north of Navarre. A student going to Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao or Santiago de Compostela will see and hear both languages in the street and at the university, and should check in which language each course is taught.
Students who go with Erasmus+ have a free tool to prepare. The programme’s Online Language Support offers a language assessment and online courses, Spanish included, before and during the stay. For higher education students going abroad for 14 days or more, taking the assessment before departure is a requirement, but the result does not stop anyone from taking part. Other students can compare Spanish language courses in Spain and read ways to practise Spanish once there.
The daily timetable
The timetable is what most newcomers notice first. According to spain.info, the national tourism site:
- Restaurants tend to serve lunch between 13:00 and 16:00 and dinner between 20:00 and 23:30
- Between 12:00 and 14:00 it is typical to meet friends for a drink or some tapas before lunch
- Shops normally open from 10:00 to 21:00, and some close between 14:00 and 17:00, especially in summer
- Sunday is the usual closing day for shops and businesses
- Concerts and theatre tend to start between 20:00 and 21:00, and later in summer
- City buses tend to run from 06:00 to 23:00, with a night service afterwards
In practice this means later meals, later evenings and a quiet period in the early afternoon in smaller towns. Public holidays can be national, regional or local, so a city may be closed on a day that is a normal working day elsewhere. 12 October is the national holiday. The same site has a short word list for daily situations; one useful detail is that a “menú” is a set meal, while the list of dishes is the “carta”.
Health and everyday rules
Knowing the basic rules removes a good part of the stress of the first days. Emergency treatment is guaranteed for everyone in Spain. Citizens of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein get medical care for illness or accident free with a European Health Insurance Card, and spain.info recommends international medical insurance, especially for people from other countries. Medicines are sold in pharmacies, marked with a green cross. Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed public areas and in schools and training centres.
After arrival: the adjustment curve
The first weeks are usually enjoyable. After that, many students meet things they do not understand: other habits of conversation, a new way of running a class, or paperwork that takes longer than expected. Frustration and homesickness at this point are common and pass with time. It helps to expect this stage, to keep a regular routine, to go on speaking Spanish even when it is tiring, and to ask before judging.
Support exists at the university. The Erasmus+ Student Charter states that exchange students are entitled to equal treatment with home students and to use networks of mentors and buddies where the host institution has them. It also asks students to respect the rules of the institution and the host country and encourages them to take an active part in local society. Joining a sports team, a student association or a language exchange is the most direct way to do that. The directory of schools in Spain shows what each school offers international students.
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