CHARLOTTE

When I first came to Pamplona, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was my first time outside of the United States and I was afraid and excited to work on my Spanish, meet new people, and explore a new culture. The first thing I noticed about Pamplona is how green it is -- there is so many trees and plants everywhere, especially at the University of Navarra. On my first day, I went to the Old Town and fell in love with the buildings and the Plaza de Castillo, where I saw a band performing and people doing a traditional Spanish dance in a circle. The people I met in my first days were so kind and patient while listening to my broken Spanish as I asked for directions. Although it might take some getting used to at first, Pamplona is so easy to fall in love with!

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LEONIE

I always wanted to do an Erasmus semester and it was clear for me that I wanted to go south to do so. I hoped I could have a nice and warm winter before coming back to cold German winter. Though Pamplona wasn't my first choice, I was happy to be able to go to Spain because I expected it to be sunny and warm even in the winter months. Well, I was wrong...Pamplona is not Spain. Especially not when you look at the weather. It rains a lot and, because it is very close to the Pyrenees, we have a lot of ice cold wind. So my recommendation is: Bring an umbrella and a rain jacket, because sometimes it is too windy to use an umbrella. What you have to expect besides that is that Spanish people sometimes seem to be a bit rude. They are saying straight away what they want and sometimes seem to be annoyed. But I experienced that they don't mean it like that - they are actually really helpful, just not talking around. Though some things surprised me at the beginning, I really started to like the city. In my opinion it is a perfect city to do you Erasmus semester: It is small enough to walk everywhere, but still big enough to still discover different parts of the city. As most of the students are living in Iturrama you nearly meet someone everywhere you go and on the weekends I am sure you will never be the only one going to the clubs. I have the feeling that the Erasmus and exchange students became more of a family than it could have happened in a bigger city. So to finish this: I love Pamplona!

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MARIA DOLORES

Although I was coming from a Latin country, Spain was a whole new experience for me. We spoke the same language but somehow I couldn’t communicate. It was totally different from home, I came to notice I talk very fast and had to repeat myself multiple times. Another big difference was the affection between people. Spanish people are very straight forward, to the point it looks mean, but they have no bad intention, they are simply that way. In contrast, in Nicaragua, the people are very caring and nice. Overall my experience in Pamplona has been great, although I’ve found a couple of differences, that’s what makes this place so special.

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VALENTINA

My first impression of Spain in general and Pamplona in specific:
My first contact in Spain was in the plane when I discovered that the pilot and the cabin crew couldn’t really speak English. But I thought: Well, that way, I really need to improve my Spanish as soon as possible. At the airport, I got to know that Spaniards commonly use short forms of ‘buenos dias’ and 'buenas noches’, they just say ‘buenos’ and ‘buenas’, which I like. Next thing: When I got to my apartment and wanted to ring the doorbell, I only saw apartment numbers and the information ‘derecha’ and ‘izquierda’ but no names! This is how they do it in Spain, I figured. So every time I go over to a friend’s apartment, I have to ask: Which apartment are you in again, and is it on the left side or on the right? And then, when getting to know someone, you need to know that Spaniards always exchange the ‘dos besos’ when greeting each other. For me as a German girl, that was a little bit unusual because the closest we get with strangers is shaking hands. But I have to admit that I really like that better.