In December 2022 the idea of doing a year abroad seemed exciting yet I had no particular reason why I wanted to do it, it was more of a “why not?”. My second year of university was also not a particularly happy time, life had thrown me some curve balls and I was pretty preoccupied dealing with these. So much so that at one point a year abroad almost seemed unlikely. I did not want to let go of my life and friends in Southampton, who I knew would have graduated when I returned. However, now in 2023, the possibility that I may have not chosen to do a year abroad seems almost ridiculous. This year, for me, has redefined the meanings of friendship and traveling. Changed my perspective on music (the subject I study), politics and the UK. Plus, I have learned to speak 2 new languages, Spanish and Portuguese; bringing with them new music, poetry, dance and friends.
Having grown up in Devon, I was on the hunt for a location by the sea. Sydney was my first choice, its music programme seemed amazing and obviously it is a very desirable destination to visit. So I was slightly disappointed to hear I had been given my second choice, Lisbon, Portugal. The programme at the university there seemed very different to what I was used to in Southampton which made me nervous, not to mention it was also all in Portuguese. However, when I arrived I quickly discovered why this city has become so popular and at no point did I wish I was in Sydney.
Lisbon is overflowing with culture, you can find just about anything you want with just about anyone you want to be with. My university, called NOVA FCSH (Faculdade Ciências Sociais e Humanas) was a small faculty in the business district of Campo Pequeno. It has just about everything you need to study there and nothing more, except a few surprises. The canteen served food at all meal times for around 3€ and the terrace outside was where I found myself spending most of my time during the week, in-between lectures or passing time before my walk back home. Home was a private student residence in an old, typically Portuguese building filled, for no reason at all, almost entirely with Spanish speakers (How I ended up learning Spanish alongside Portuguese). The experience was at times, unreal, I would often stare up at the buildings on my way home in disbelief, or open Google maps and realise where I really was. Surrounded by other Erasmus students I found myself making friends very quickly. In the beginning I made some friends which I realised maybe weren’t my kind of people but I soon found my crowd, and when I did it was like meeting people I’d known my whole life. I think this is because we were always doing new things, and in doing these new things we shared a lot of experiences together in a very short space of time. This lead to some amazing friendships which I hope (although sad to say goodbye for now) will last for a long time. These friends who call many different places home, are like none I’ve had before and we share so many great memories together.
Lisbon and Portugal specifically offered me so many new opportunities. I discovered that I have a passion for languages, I discovered that I can dance after learning Forró (a style from Brazil), I hiked the Camino de Santiago from Porto and explored most of the country. The university also offered me a different way of learning from Southampton. As I was detached from most of the constraints of studying a full bachelor’s course I was able to choose any of the music modules that were on offer. This meant I could focus on the topics that I really wanted to learn more about. For example, music technology and psychology. I also found a new way of enjoying music playing guitar and jamming with friends in parks all over the city.
However, it wasn’t all sunshine. I was very rarely homesick but it is surprising how small tasks like ordering a coffee take much more effort when you have to learn the new ways of saying and doing things. It seems to me that a year abroad is a year of extremes. I have laughed and I have cried, sometimes even at the same time. I have been out from 10pm at night until 10am in the morning but I have also slept through the day. Its amazing what a time limit can do. I joke that I feel as if I have lived a lifetime this year, or that I have aged more this year than in any other before. Simply because so many amazing things were condensed into, realistically, a very short time. I often had people tell me to ‘make the most of it’ and I spent a long time trying to do that or figuring out what it meant. I think I still don’t know what that really means. After all, living abroad still has to be life. It includes sleeping, laundry, cleaning and all other things that are not necessarily ‘making the most of it’. However, experiencing everything in new contexts and from different perspectives has changed me significantly, I hope, for the better.
If you are thinking about a year abroad, please do it. You won’t regret it.
