by Mariia Levchenko International Business Hotel and Restaurant Management Erasmus Semester Report University of Malaga, Spain

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1 by Mariia Levchenko International Business Hotel and Restaurant Management Erasmus Semester Report University of Malaga, Spain February June, 2017

2 My Erasmus Semester in Spain was a long-term objective for me. As an international student in Germany I was already used to living in another country which was very different from my native one. For me a semester abroad was a great chance to get to know another European country, to expand my outlook and to get unforgettable life experience. For this reason, I chose a course of Spanish language at the university two years in advance before Erasmus to be able to study and communicate in it. Furthermore, I did a small tour across Spain in order to make sure that Spain was the right destination and that I was going to definitely enjoy my time there. First of all, I had to find a university with the courses corresponding to the contents and credits of my curriculum in Germany. That process took me about two weeks and was not easy because of my level of Spanish language at that time and because Spanish web sites are not always properly translated into English. But with a great help of my academic coordinator Prof. Dr. Antonio Juarez-Medina, I chose the University of Malaga, because Costa del Sol is a perfect destination to study Tourism and the city of Malaga is located by the sea. Moreover, I chose Andalusia because of my personal preferences which were influenced as well by an all-year-round perfect weather, hospitable and friendly people and reasonable expenses for food and accommodation in comparison to other parts of Spain.

3 Accommodation Sharing a flat is the best and the most common choice for accommodation while doing Erasmus. Firstly, because you make new friends fast and because your flatmates are your primary source of help and support, especially at the beginning. Although I started my search about two months before arrival, it was complicated to find a proper place without a personal visit. Moreover, many owners and intermediaries offer to sign a contract in advance or pay a deposit, which usually turns out to be a fraud. So, as many Erasmus students, I firstly booked a temporal accommodation. Unfortunately, I did not get any help from the receiving university and had to check the local websites pisocompartido.com and idealista.com and contact the owners on my own. Facebook groups were also a good source to find a place. After a two-week search, I found a room which was far from the city center, but closer to my campus. I would recommend to future Erasmus students renting a room in a central location if you want to actively participate in the night life and go out a lot during the week. I chose an apartment with local Spanish people and as a result improved my language skills and expanded enormously my knowledge of the Spanish culture and everyday habits, but could not spend much time at the city center with other Erasmus students who lived there. Visa As a non-european student of a German university I was required to have a student visa for Spain as well. The whole process took me about 2-3 months and was complicated because of many papers I had to provide. I am very grateful to International office of Heilbronn University and especially to Anja Chan for a quick and efficient help and support with my visa issues. As a non-european citizen, I was not allowed to do my Erasmus for more than 6 months, but I recommend staying here for a whole year because of the great weather and travel opportunities. Spain is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world, there are plenty of wonderful places to see which have ancient history and amazing sceneries. If you study Tourism or Hotel Management as me, Costa del Sol is a perfect place to expand your professional outlook which is another advantage you can obtain from Erasmus.

4 Language In general, if you do not speak Spanish well, it will be difficult to understand the learning materials and communicate with professors, fellow students or locals because the level of English is unfortunately very poor in the country. I managed to find only one course in English, but half of the information was still given in Spanish because of a communication barrier. But on the other hand, due to the surrounding and constant need of solving everyday problems, I made a significant step forward from B1 to C1 level. I also took a 3- week intensive course that was offered by the University of Malaga to all Erasmus students. In general, I mainly succeeded to improve my language skills due to communicating mainly with locals and sharing a flat with Spanish people who were extremely nice and patient with me and taught me a lot of new words and expressions. University The University of Malaga offers 65 degree courses and counts on students and is divided into two campuses. The first two months of the semester were intense due to the organizational issues of the University. As other Erasmus students, I had complications with creating my personal schedule which was caused by an unclear system of classes

5 and constant changes. I did not receive much help from my academic coordinator with these issues. Still, some students used the benefits of an international Buddy Program, in frames of which the incoming international students receive informational support from the local students of the University. I would recommend to all incoming students using this opportunity, because it can be a great help with your everyday life at the faculty. It took me about two months to get used to the local accent, but in general the content of the lessons was clear and I did not have any problem with any professor, because all of them were very helpful and understanding with all international students. The studying process is quite different because of intense workload during a semester. There are many courses with several partial exams which take place during the semester instead of a one complete exam at the end. As well students have to make projects almost every week and actively participate in discussions during the class. For me all the course materials were mostly clear, so I successfully passed all the exams at the end. Other Activities The University of Malaga has a great sports center with lots of activities for every taste. I tried to use its opportunities as much as possible, for example I took a course of Latino dances where I met interesting people and made new friends and got a lot of inspiration. As well, one of the brightest moments and the best experiences was my participation at the European Handball Championship among universities in Antequera, where I was helping the organizational committee as a volunteer and was honored to receive a present and gratitude on behalf of the entire volunteer group. This was a significant event for me with a possibility to enjoy communication with teams from all around Europe and participate in a sport event of European level. Therefore, I would recommend to all Erasmus students being curious and active and participating in interesting events because it is going to be an unforgettable experience for your whole life.

6 Free Time My lifestyle was very different in Spain comparing to the one in Germany mainly because of the time spent outdoors. Spanish people are very communicative and go out together every week. As well people spend much time on the beach, walking or doing sports outside due to the perfect weather almost every day. Malaga is full of bars, restaurants and clubs open all night long even during the week, so you will never get bored here. As well there are many companies that organize different events and trips to great places such as Morocco or Gibraltar.

7 Complications To sum up, my main complications were connected to checking the curricula of partner universities, a complicated visa process, accommodation search and organizational issues at the university. As well, unfortunately the grant paid for this program was not enough to satisfy basic needs such as food and accommodation. I would not be able to participate without having additional financial sources. Nevertheless, all these complications were solved with a certain time and effort and have turned into the great experience. A semester abroad must have its challenges for you to overcome them. Conclusion I have spent 6 precious unforgettable months during my Erasmus in Spain. This is a great experience that will have an impact on my whole further life. I have learned a new language, met many wonderful, interesting people with similar and different mindsets, made new friends from different countries, expanded my knowledge about other European cultures and gained new skills and competences that will surely make my professional life easier in the future. I am very grateful to the States of Germany and Spain, the University of Heilbronn, International Office, my academic coordinator, and all people who contributed to my happy stay in Spain.