Making Friends in Spain
I'd like to dedicate this post to something that's been a huge deal for me here in Spain: making friends. How do you do it? Who should you befriend? Where to begin?
Like I've already mentioned, the Buddy Program through the university is a great resource. However, your buddy might be a busy person, and they can't be your only friend. A lot of the exchange students here tend to hang out together and don't branch out too much. This means a lot of speaking in English and not making friends who you can practice Spanish with. Something to note is that a lot of the students studying in Spain from other European countries don't actually know Spanish very well and don't seem to really want to learn it. This is not true for everyone of course, but as a general rule, I stay away from making friends in the Erasmus (European exchange student) group.
So this leaves you with the option of making friends with your classmates. It can be nice to have a group of people studying the same things as you, maybe try asking for advice or help from fellow students as a conversation starter. And introduce yourself as much as possible! I haven't done this enough, and I wish I'd talked to more people at the beginning of the semester.
The thing is, it can be tricky making friends with classmates. I was taking a class for first year students, and as a result I found myself in a class full of 18 year old's, fresh out of high school and they all already knew each other. I felt so out of place and barely spoke to anyone. The labs helped me open up a bit more, but I still didn't feel like any of my classmates were actually my friends. The problem is, the Spanish students are used to meeting exchange students who are only there for the semester and don't speak very good Spanish. A lot of them just chose Spain for the fiestas and siestas. You really have to try and show them that you're interested in actually learning about their culture, or they might dismiss you as just another exchange student who isn't worth getting to know because you'll be gone soon anyway.
I don't want to sound too negative in this post, but I've met a lot of exchange students who have had similar difficulties with making Spanish friends. Just remember, take a deep breath and carry on! Spanish people can be intimidating but they really are very kind and wonderful friends once you get to know them.
Like I've already mentioned, the Buddy Program through the university is a great resource. However, your buddy might be a busy person, and they can't be your only friend. A lot of the exchange students here tend to hang out together and don't branch out too much. This means a lot of speaking in English and not making friends who you can practice Spanish with. Something to note is that a lot of the students studying in Spain from other European countries don't actually know Spanish very well and don't seem to really want to learn it. This is not true for everyone of course, but as a general rule, I stay away from making friends in the Erasmus (European exchange student) group.
So this leaves you with the option of making friends with your classmates. It can be nice to have a group of people studying the same things as you, maybe try asking for advice or help from fellow students as a conversation starter. And introduce yourself as much as possible! I haven't done this enough, and I wish I'd talked to more people at the beginning of the semester.
The thing is, it can be tricky making friends with classmates. I was taking a class for first year students, and as a result I found myself in a class full of 18 year old's, fresh out of high school and they all already knew each other. I felt so out of place and barely spoke to anyone. The labs helped me open up a bit more, but I still didn't feel like any of my classmates were actually my friends. The problem is, the Spanish students are used to meeting exchange students who are only there for the semester and don't speak very good Spanish. A lot of them just chose Spain for the fiestas and siestas. You really have to try and show them that you're interested in actually learning about their culture, or they might dismiss you as just another exchange student who isn't worth getting to know because you'll be gone soon anyway.
I don't want to sound too negative in this post, but I've met a lot of exchange students who have had similar difficulties with making Spanish friends. Just remember, take a deep breath and carry on! Spanish people can be intimidating but they really are very kind and wonderful friends once you get to know them.
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