Last-minute Limbo

Here’s the first entry, it’s a bit lengthy but give it a chance, I won’t be posting every minute of the day and will keep the Brit-abroad rants to a minimum, promise.  x

Four days left. I’m itching to go; I have my euros, a place to stay and am pretty sure I printed my boarding pass as soon as you could. Have reached state of mind where everything on this end is done (I hope!) and I literally have no purpose at home apart from fridge-raiding. Don’t get me wrong, I love coming home for the summer, and seeing family and friends,  it’s just that Uni ended a while ago, and between the whole ordeal of finding a flat in Spain, and quitting work, I’ve found myself in a bit of a limbo.

At first I’d describe it as a rut of procrastination (you know the deal, when you have so much to do that actually …sorry-not-sorry-don’t-have-time-too-busy-conducting-extensive-YouTube-video-research)… After finally coming to terms with my pending departure (this was a couple of months ago, which in all fairness, is a feat for someone who lives for last minute) I thought I’d better find a place to live, just to avoid the whole being homeless abroad sitch. There is actually an abundance of websites and Facebook groups listing hundreds of places of residence to choose from in Granada, so mistakenly I assumed this would be no mission; I didn’t think I was making diva demands – plain and simple, I was looking for a shared apartment/flat, preferably with Spanish-speakers, within max 20 mins walking distance of the faculty I’d be attending. Unfortunately it is much more difficult than first thought, but oddly I can’t give an exact reason why, there are so many places, but there are also plenty of other people looking, and the fact I’m only in Granada for 6 months was a major obstacle. I also think the new project of finding somewhere to stay (which involved a deadline, so needless to say, I was a wreck) had turned me into a crazed Goldilocks-esque character – too good a price to be true, too quiet, not close enough… In the end my dad had had enough of my stressing out – ‘JUST PICK ONE!’ and it turns out I found one of a distance that was just right (f.y.i. GoogleMaps has been my best friend throughout this flat search drama, and I can honestly say I recognise almost every street name in the Plaza de Toros/Cartuja area in Granada. Yes I do realise how sad that is.)

Meanwhile, going through the various ERASMUS Facebook groups and posting adverts on sites like EasyPiso a sense of panic arose; I can’t even write a simple paragraph without doubting my ability to use Spanish – is that too formal? Should I say that? Does that sound Spanish-y enough?

Oh my god. How am I actually going to be able to TALK to real Spanish people? I started to receive responses as these thoughts set in, referring to WordReference and online translators JUST IN CASE I had read or written something out of context – I mean, this is serious stuff, like: Is the room free? Will you let me stay for just 6 months? PLEASE? How do I pay a deposit? Can I pay it now? GIVE ME THE ROOM!!

…

 as it turns out exchanging emails with potential flatmates/landlords is a great way to revise. Let’s just hope throwing myself in the deep end in non-virtual, actual, real-life Spain pays off as well.

In all seriousness, for those looking for a place to stay, particularly in Granada, I’d recommend using EasyPiso, or Milanuncios, the first site actually updates you with emails everyday on possible flats suited to your requirements. Alternatively or additionally try posting on Facebook groups – I received a few responses and the people I spoke to actually helped massively in my search.

 I’d also recommend revising during the summer before heading out there, which is advice I should have taken myself tbh. Don’t worry about me though guys, just dug out my ‘Acción Gramática’ from the various crates of toot I haven’t unpacked yet from Uni… ALL SET!