Studying at the University of Vigo

 Hello!

 After spending a semester studying at the University of Vigo in Galicia, Spain, I thought I would tell you about the modules I chose and what classes were like. I hope if you are going to study there you find it helpful, and if you aren't you might still find it interesting to learn about university in Galicia.

 I studied at the Faculty of Philology and Translation. I took five main modules, which had the most credits attached, and two smaller ones. The smaller modules - Galician language and culture, and magic and conjuring - will get their own blog posts. Here, I will tell you about the five larger ones.

Languages, Communication and Cultures

 I feel this module fitted into the fields of anthropology and linguistics. We debated what language is; whether only humans are capable of it, or whether animals can be (an example we discussed being chimps who are taught to communicate with humans using sign language). 

 We also talked about how world languages are categorised, the differences between languages, how we acquire language, and about gestures. The classes involved a lot of discussion, which was good for getting to know people. 

 We were set practical tasks, for example recording one another speaking our native language, which I enjoyed. Overall, this was one of my favourite modules, and I was delighted to receive the Matrícula de honor in it - the highest honour in the Spanish university system.

Information and Communication in Spanish

 This module was about the different forms in which we may encounter the Spanish language. We learnt about the Real Academia Española, which decides on the official version of Spanish and produces dictionaries, and then we explored variations of Spanish spoken around the world.

 We looked at how language is used in the press and online. For our assessment we each had to do a big written project around an element of how Spanish language can be used. I chose to focus on the language used to describe the Spanish Royal Family in different newspapers and magazines.

 I really enjoyed working on my project and found it one of the most rewarding things I did in Vigo. The module was interesting and I learnt a great deal.

The History of the European Union

 This module did what it said on the tin. We learnt about the history of the EU, moving through the decades and looking at documents, maps, posters and political cartoons. I feel like I learnt a huge amount, both from the classes and from revising for the two exams we were set.

 Of all my modules, this was the one whose classes were most similar to Uni lectures. I liked our teacher's style of gently, carefully explaining things, and the way images were used - cartoons especially can help facts and dates stick in your mind.

 Brexit was fairly new when I started this module, and as the only Brit in the class, I worried I would be singled out to talk about it, but that didn't happen. It was a nice, chilled module. 

20th and 21st Century Spanish Literature

 In this module we read Spanish novels and plays, which took up a lot of time, but which I enjoyed. We were set regular little tasks, such as one on Lorca, whose imagery I find powerful and haunting, and one on Gloria Fuertes, who wrote many books for children, along with poetry. 

 We also worked on a play by Lauro Olmo called La camisa (The shirt), which really stuck with me, and a play by Francisco Nieva called Baile de los Ardientes (Dance of the Passionate), which was rather strange but very interesting.

 We had a visit from a poet, Ángeles Mora, who talked to us about her writing. It was really nice to hear her read her poems to us in person. This module was quite tiring due to the amount of reading required, but I'm very glad I chose it because I discovered some fascinating literature.

Latin American Literature: Poetry and Theatre

 In this module we learnt about poetry from across Latin America, from long, epic poems about gauchos (similar to cowboys) in Argentina to the beautiful little poems of the Nicaraguan Rubén Darío. We also looked at plays from different periods and in diverse styles.

 We had tasks to do for this module, too, with the most challenging but also the most fulfilling being a presentation on a Latin American poet. I was assigned the Uruguayan writer Idea Vilariño, and worked hard to learn about her life and work and present it as dynamically as I could.

 The rest of the class were native speakers of Spanish, so I was perhaps at a disadvantage, but I was happy with my presentation and the teacher was very pleased. I was marked 10 out of 10 on this module, and am very proud.

 I hope these summaries have been useful and interesting. I enjoyed all of my modules and definitely learnt a lot, both in terms of knowledge and in terms of working in different ways. I am more flexible and resourceful now as a writer and researcher.

 I got good marks in all of my modules, 10 out of 10 in one, and the Matrícula de honor in another. I was delighted with my results, and I look back on my hours spent in the Faculty - in class, working in the computer room, eating in the canteen, reading in the library - with real affection.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Starting at the University of Vigo

 Hello!

 I had arrived in Vigo, settled into the student residence and explored the University's mountain campus, as well as venturing into the city. The time had come to choose my courses and begin class.

 When it came to the choosing part, Esther, my assigned Erasmus buddy, was amazing. She took me on a quick tour of the Faculty of Philology and Translation, where I would have most of my lessons. Spread over a central building and three pavilions, the Faculty is a lovely space with lots of glass and greenery, giving it an open, airy feel.

 After our look around we sat down in the library and worked out a loose timetable. I still had a couple of weeks to finalise my class choices, so we included everything I was remotely interested in. I then started going to said classes to see whether they were right for me. 

 Those two weeks were incredibly hectic and tiring, as I was in one lesson or other nearly all the time. I'm very happy that I did it, though, as I ended up with five main modules, and two smaller extra modules, that I enjoyed and that fitted together really nicely.

 My big classes were Languages, Linguistics and Cultures; Information and Communication in Spanish; Twentieth Century Spanish Literature; Latin American Poetry and Theatre; and the History of the European Union. I also studied Galician Language and Culture and Introduction to Magic.

 One of the main reasons I chose Vigo as a year-abroad destination was because I was interested in learning to speak Galician and discovering Galician culture, so finding a course on those was perfect. It also offered trips all around the region.

 The Magic class was an obradoiro - a workshop. These courses were more practical and were open to people from outside of the Uni, though they were cheaper for students. There was a wide variety on offer - cooking, photography, guitar - but I had always been fascinated by magic and sleight of hand, so I went for that.

 All in all, I was happy with my timetable. I got my Erasmus paperwork signed and sent off, and was ready to go.

 My next quest was to investigate the catering options at the Faculty and around campus. My residence was a twenty-minute walk away but we only had an hour's break for lunch - which was at three in the afternoon, later than I was used to - and I didn't want to be rushing home and back every day. 

 The Cidade Universitaria - University City - is a small complex of shops, a bank and a couple of restaurants designed for students and Uni staff. It includes Da Vinci, the bar where I had a hot chocolate on one of my first nights on campus. 

 I decided to try one of the restaurants, La Cocina de Maria. I picked a cheese and ham toastie with chips, accompanied by pineapple juice. I flicked through one of the endless celebrity and high society magazines that were lying around while I waited for it to arrive.

A rainy day

 La Cocina also had a lunch menu that changed every day, so I gave that a go. I selected a mushroom dish - like a stroganoff - as my starter and then pasta with prawns as my main. It was all very tasty.

 Another day while I was walking on campus I was stopped and handed a loyalty card for an Italian restaurant in University City called Di La Mamma. I went to check it out. They had a similar lunch menu system as La Cocina. 

 I ordered pasta carbonara and a fish dish - I think it was hake. I picked a funny little dessert out of their chiller cabinet. It was all delicious and the portions were very generous - the carbonara alone was like a full meal.

 I also spent some time in the chilled-out cafeteria in the Faculty itself. They did delicious hot chocolate and croissants, which were great as a between-lessons snack.

 Finally, there was the Faculty's dining room. I was slightly nervous about trying it out as it was a huge space that always seemed to be full of students and had a very specific queuing and ordering system. However, it was convenient location-wise as a lunch option, so I took a chance on it.

 I stood in line, took my tray, lined my tray with a piece of paper (those paper tray-liners seem slightly wasteful to me), took my bread, my glass and my dessert, chose my starter, ordered my main, paid, filled my glass at the water tap and found a seat. My main was then bought to me.

 It was a long-winded process, but doable. The staff were chatty and sweet and it was a pleasant space - busy, yes, but with lovely views of campus and lots of natural light coming in. 

 The dining room became my main place to eat lunch, though I occasionally graced Di La Mamma with my presence in the hope that I might fill up my loyalty card during the time I was in Vigo and claim a free meal before I left. Of course, there were also times when I just went back to the residence to eat.

 I had lessons sorted and lunches sorted. Now I could relax into my new routine and enjoy meeting new people. During my semester at the University of Avignon I had met a lot of Europeans but barely anybody from the US - or from any other continent at all. 

 Here in Vigo there was a huge number of American students - it seemed half the people I met were American - as well as students from Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, China, Kazakhstan and Madagascar. It was great learning about everybody's country, culture and languages.

 One close friend that I made was Daojun, from China. He and I would go on to plan various trips and outings together, including my rainy birthday excursion to Santiago de Compostela. That post is coming up soon, so watch this space!

 If you are considering spending a semester - or two - at the University of Vigo, I recommend it. I enjoyed my courses, the campus is beautiful - though be aware that it is remote - and I felt very comfortable there.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x