Erasmus:Tips for the First Two Weeks in Madrid

What's up, guys? Hope you're all doing good and have stuck to your New Year Resolutions, I know I haven't 😊. It's coming up to Valentine's Day, expensive time of year to travel, right? But you know whats not expensive? Chicken Nuggets. 
So university has started. So right back into the thick of it. Group work, assignments, exam pressure, deadlines and my all time favorite university activity -> Procrastination. 
Over the past couple of weeks, it's been a bit of a mess. Sorting out timetables, budgeting money, making friends, making sure classes are all good and planning some cool stuff for the summer too.
As well as making friends, a lot of Erasmus activities revolving around making friends have gone on and gave me the incentive to write a post about the first two weeks of the Erasmus experience in Madrid and my advice on how and what to do in this time period, a handy hints sort of thing!
-
Erasmus isn't ONLY about studying, attending classes and being under pressure about college. It's about living your experience to the fullest. So here is how you can get the most out of your first few weeks!

1. Before and When You Arrive: There are some things to take into account when moving to Madrid. 
• One of the main priorities for a student before getting to Madrid is to get accommodation. Accommodation is a big thing in Erasmus. You could look too late and end up living from Airbnb for a few weeks.
  
  Speaking to other Erasmus here, the main accommodation advice they can give is to find suitable accommodation near the main centers of Madrid. Sure, you may have to travel a bit to university, but for your social experiences in Madrid, living closer to places like Sol, Gran Vía, La Latina, Malasaña etc. For study-orientated students, close-to-campus accommodation can be cheap and convenient. For those considering Erasmus in Madrid, check out these sites for accommodation: http://www.aluni.net/en/ - Aluni offers good, close to campus accommodation. And https://www.uniplaces.com/ Hopefully these sites help you guys! 
• Arriving in Madrid, it's quire scary actually. One of the most
  
  important things that will help you on your Erasmus and that will save you a lot of money, is the Transport Card. For any prospective Erasmus, the transport card works on the metro, overground renfe trains and buses. For anyone under the age of 26, travel to outer areas in the region of Madrid has no additional cost. To acquire your card, it costs a total sum of €4! And then €20 per month for a full month of unlimited travel. This card will be a live saver and also save a few pennies in your pocket also!
2.  Welcome Days at University: This semester, the Welcome Day fell on the
   
   Friday the 13th of January and in the semester beforehand, it fell on Tuesday the 6th of September. On this Welcome Day in the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, you receive the welcome package, in which, you will receive your matriculation form and your certificate of arrival. The Welcome Day, you meet new Erasmus students attending your classes and you feel less lonely and realize it's a new experience for everyone in the room. The documents given are what the Erasmus student needs to fill in with their subjects, ID numbers and information about the degree you study. This Welcome Day is super informative and a great social opportunity!
3. Join an Erasmus Network: In a number of universities across Madrid, there exists an Erasmus Student Network (ESN). The ESN are a group of volunteer students who, between their classes: Organize Trips, Promote Erasmus events in some of the top nightclubs in Madrid, offer advice to Erasmus students and they also like to just make friends with people from all over the world! A great part of this is they offer SIM cards for those who need to change to a Spanish number! Joining the ESN group in your university, you'll never feel out of the loop in Madrid. Every week there is an activity or trip for students to participate and integrate in. For me, I am with the ESN URJC, and I have been with them since Fall 2016. They've provided us with the opportunity to travel and make the making friends process a whole lot easier! 
4. Join the Integration Activities: Whether you join the ESN or you're going at Erasmus solo, one of the key pieces of advice for the first couple of weeks of your Erasmus experience, is to participate and go on the integration activities you may happen upon. For me, last weekend (20th of January -> 22nd of January), my friends and I joined ESN on their integrational weekend in Mohernando, Guadalajara. They brought us to
   
   this place with cool views, close to a pet farm and no exaggeration, but over 125 people went on this trip, both student and ESN coordinator. These weekends, no matter what opinion you have about the activities, is one of the best way to make friends, meet people and party! For us, we had activities like: Make your own sangria, Spanish food workshops and awesome themed parties (80's and a Toga Party). I went to the parties dressed as a cow. Because every party needs someone who dresses in a onesie! Also included was a trip to the cool town of Segovia (Blog post soon!), One of the key things I recommend is to totally go on these integrational weekend, find friends and then you'll never find yourself to be bored! Besides ESN, I recommend giving Citylife a look on Facebook!
5. Budget: It can be hard on the first few weeks. Your friends are going partying, there are a lot of trips to pay for, you want to experience Madrid and not be the boring person, really. But you also have to survive, buy
   
   groceries, pay rent and all those other "adult responsibilities". Budgeting is probably the worst thing ever. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a trip so you can pay for something else. Or maybe worry about paying for something because you have a lot to pay for. But as I said starting this post: Erasmus is about living your experience to the fullest. You don't have to go to EVERY party or go on EVERY trip. But make a system where you can balance your social life as well as those awful adult responsibilities!
6. Find your places: I've actually come to realize just recently that finding your "local" is quite a difficult thing to do in Madrid. Every place is
   
   different and everybody has different tastes. An advisable thing to do on your first few weeks is to go with friends to different restaurants, cafés and bars. Look on tripadvisor. Yelp. My blog. Anything with information on where to eat and drink with friends. Currently, my friends and I are still searching for a place where we can have a chill drink, a place where we can all enjoy the party, a good place to have lunch, We're trying to find a place for everyone! And that's something all students should do. Discover Madrid through different restaurants and cafés!

All of these things are an important thing to consider and I know a lot of them are "most important". But the best tip, and I'm sure Erasmus/Exchange students past and present can back me up with this is to ENJOY! To follow the quote:

"Erasmus is not a year in your life, it's a life in a year!"

-

I hope this is some useful tips for students now and in the future! And if you have any other questions or if any Erasmus/Exchange student has other pieces of advice to offer, please feel free to comment, tweet, IG or email me!

-

Remember to Read, Comment, Share and Enjoy 

And also remember to like and follow on:

Instagram: DavidCandyKeane

Twitter: Davidko49

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ThePoorStudentTraveller

And thanks to my friend Max for his advice for you guys! Give him a follow: immonenmax

-