Do's and Don'ts of Studying in Spain by Addy VanSledright

Here are my do's and don'ts for future students studying in Salamanca:

DO come prepared. Research Salamanca before you come, and anywhere else you might want to visit. Looking up restaurants or places you want to visit may help you to not feel so lost your first few days/weeks.

DON'T pack heavy: by this I mean two things: 1. Don't pack a lot of clothes. During July and August Spain has really good sales, or as they call them "rebajas." Plus you'll be buying a lot of souvenirs for yourself, family, and friends. Having to lug an over-weight suitcase home is not very much fun. 2. Don't pack heavy clothes-one light sweatshirt and pair of jeans is about the heaviest clothes that you will need. It is always sunny and hot in Salamanca!

DON'T forget the little things. Things like q-tips (which I forgot), aloe vera for sunburns, medicines (from basic stuff like ibuprofen or your allergy medicine. A copy of your passport is a good thing to remember as well.

DO be careful with your valuables. Always carry a copy of your passport, not the real thing. Don't carry too much money with you, and if you don't need your credit card, leave it at home (host parents home). Always keep track of all of your valuables that you have with you-camera, wallet, cell phone, etc. My second day in Spain I left my camera in a taxi in Madrid. Not so smart.

DO save up for excursions. We don't receive much information about excursions before we come to Salamanca, but there will be excursions and some of them you may have to pay for. I had to choose between to because of money reasons and it wasn't very fun. So save up and put away a couple hundred euro for extra trips you may want to make.

DON'T be afraid to talk. Learning to speak Spanish is why your here so don't be afraid to get out there and speak up, even if it is wrong. I went a couple weeks being too afraid to talk to my Señora and now I wish I would have spent more time talking to her, in Spanish of course.

DON'T spend too much time missing home/family/friends. We all have family and friends that we left behind and miss, but if you spend all your time missing them or spend all your time Skyping or on Facebook, you'll miss out on what Salamanca has to offer.

DON'T be afraid to try something new, especially food. Everything will be different than what we are used to, and that's a GOOD thing. Be a different person here-talk to people, try every food you see, go on a paddle boat ride. All these are memories you will cherish and will change
you forever.

DO take pictures of everything. Where you live, where your classes are, your host family, things you see every day but don't think about. And of course, take pictures of the beautiful places you go as well.

DO remember to enjoy being here. Studying abroad is stressful, but enjoy every second of it!