ONLINE REFLECTION 2

Dear classmates, in the last input to this blog we had the opportunity to reflect on everything we want. After thinking about it, I have decided to share with you what my Erasmus experience has been like for me.

I arrived to Karlstad eight months ago with a mix of different feelings: happiness to start this new adventure, sadness leaving my city, family and friends, fear of my horrible level in English and curiosity about Sweden.

I decided to choose this destination with three goals: improve my English, get to know the Swedish culture and finish my second degree. But I never thought what this experience would mean for my life.

Now, Karlstad is not only the name of the university anymore, where I wanted to study one year ago.
In Karlstad I have experience a lot of feelings: funny (thousands of parties, snow fights, being lost in the forest...), interesting (dinners with new dishes, spend time with people from places I had never heard about, Swedish special celebrations...), but sad ones too, because I am family person and it sometimes has been hard to be so far away from my people.

In Karlstad I have learnt to live by myself. I have become an expert of cooking "Spanish omelets" (I think is the only dish I can cook decently...). I am not reliant on my car anymore. I have had the opportunity to live through an extremely cold winter (in my city I thought that 5 degrees was coldest day of my life). Also, I have valued a bit more my country, my city and our way of being.

Finally, in Karlstad I have a family: people from different parts of the world but their nationalities don't matter because they are with me for everything. They are the most important part of my Erasmus, because without them Karlstad had been just another city. I know the distance will be a problem when we come back to our "real lives", but we will be in touch and I will have free accommodation in different countries.

Now, eight months later, what about my goals? I have met Sweden and its culture thanks to wonderful Swedish people, my degree is almost finished and my English... Well, the Erasmus is not over yet so I can continue improving.

To finish my input, I want to offer one advice: if you still have the opportunity to spend a year abroad, do it! And if you can go to the south of Spain... It will be your best choice ever.

I hope you enjoy reading my reflection!