I spent the months from September to December 2024 in Valencia, and it was truly one of the best times of my life. During my stay, I had the chance to experience a completely different culture and made new friends. This experience changed me in many ways, and I feel very enriched.

The university in Valencia was very reliable overall. They usually responded to my emails quickly and were both helpful and friendly. However, I did face one challenge: the university was completely closed during August, which made it difficult to get any information about my courses before the semester began. This was a bit stressful because the academic year starts in September, and I wasn’t sure about all the details at first. The campus for Education studies is in ‘Godella’, which is 15 minutes by tram from the city center. The professors were kind, approachable, and had a great sense of humor, which made the learning experience even more enjoyable. I gained a lot of valuable knowledge, particularly for my future English lessons as a teacher. The exams were fair and not overly difficult.

During my school internship, I wasn’t directly teaching classes but instead supported the teachers in their work. I was placed in a primary school, working with grades 1 to 5. I assisted three different teachers who specialized in English and Arts. They were very eager to show us how the Spanish school system works. The children were absolutely adorable and warmed up to us right away, even though we didn’t speak each other’s languages very well. The school was private, but compared to Austria, the lessons felt much more relaxed and informal.

I noticed some key differences between the school system in Valencia and what I had experienced in Austria. One big difference was how much freedom the children had in Spain. For example, in the classroom, the children could speak louder, and the teacher didn’t immediately tell them to be quiet. During PE lessons, the children could often choose their own activities and play freely with their classmates. In Austria, everything is more structured and closely monitored, and both children and adults are generally expected to be quieter. I think the Spanish approach is good to some extent because it encourages independence and creativity in the children, which I really admired.

Another difference was in the English lessons. The teachers in Valencia went through the topics very quickly, which sometimes left many of the children confused. In Austria, we usually work on one topic at a slower pace, making sure the students fully understand before moving on. Even though the children in Valencia still learned something, I think the lessons would have been more effective if the material was taught more slowly and with more focus on making sure everyone understood.

At first, finding a flat in Valencia wasn’t easy because there were quite a few scammers to watch out for. I tried using WhatsApp groups to search for accommodation, but many of the offers turned out to be fake, which was frustrating. Thankfully, our university recommended some trustworthy websites. That’s how I found ‘aluni.net’ and booked a flat through them.

To secure the flat, I had to make an advance payment. On the day of my arrival, I could either pick up the key from their office or, if arriving outside office hours, have the key delivered for an additional fee of €70. Since I arrived after office hours, a woman brought the key to me and my flatmate, although there was a small delay. In the end, everything worked out fine.

The flat looked just like it did on the website, which was a relief. It was more or less clean, but we decided to give it a proper clean ourselves the next day. Over the following weeks, four more girls moved in, so there were six of us in total. Living together was a lot of fun! Three of the girls were native Spanish speakers, which gave us the perfect opportunity to practice and improve our Spanish. It was a lively and enjoyable experience that made my time in Valencia even better.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with the service provided by ‘aluni.net’. The flat was well maintained, although there were a few minor issues. For example, the shower was broken, and at one point, the washing machine stopped working. Fortunately, the company replaced the washing machine with a new one, which was great. However, we had to figure out a solution for the broken shower ourselves, which was a bit inconvenient.

One thing I really appreciated was the cleaning service. A cleaning lady came to the flat every week, which felt like such a luxury. It made it much easier to keep the flat tidy and saved us a lot of time.

Valencia is a vibrant city with a population of about 1 million people, beautifully located by the sea. It’s truly the prettiest city I’ve ever visited. As a popular destination for Erasmus students, there are countless activities to enjoy, such as hiking trips, city tours, sports events, and, of course, plenty of parties. Wherever you go, you’ll always see young people, as Valencia is very much a student city.

The city never feels boring because the streets are full of lively cafés, restaurants, and shops to explore. One of my favorite spots was the large park that stretches through the entire city. It’s the perfect place to exercise, study, or just relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Even though I was there during the winter semester, the weather was incredibly warm. In September and October, it still felt like summer, and I spent a lot of time at the beach. November brought a few rainy days, but compared to the winter in Austria, the climate was still very mild. Even in December, the temperatures were comfortable, making Valencia an amazing place to escape the cold!

Fotos und Text: Irina Ortner