While friends back in the UK have begun to see glimpses of summer, here in Madrid, we’ve been condemned to countless consecutive days of downfall. Seeing people sitting outside by the Cam or the Thames with a pint in hand makes me more than a little jealous. With the sun slowly making its way here in the next few months, I’m deciding to adopt a positive outlook on the miserable weather. A year abroad isn’t just about living in the sunshine, it’s about experiencing and appreciating all of the country’s seasons, beyond just the warmth of the summer that you would experience on holiday.

The rain has led me to be grateful for the little things. I’ve always been someone who seeks out novel or big moments, but the year abroad so far has taught me to be grateful for the smaller things, especially things that I will not be able to experience when I get back to Cambridge: a two-euro coffee, the time to make a nice dinner, sightseeing, a beer at lunchtime on campus with Spanish friends.

“Learning to enjoy life just because, not only as a reward for hard work, is a valuable lesson”

Cambridge students know all too well of the guilt that comes from not working. But here, with less academic pressure, my days can be more frequently filled with things I’d only occasionally do in Cambridge. At first, it obviously feels liberating as I’ve never been so free to spend the day as I please. But, naturally, that lingering guilt never quite disappears. Even when I check my to-do list and see everything is completed, I still feel like I must be forgetting something. Learning to deal with this feeling and allowing myself to enjoy life just because, not only as a reward for hard work, is a valuable lesson. I think it’s a mindset we should all carry into fourth year, especially when it comes to finding the right work-life balance.

Once the rain clears up and term progresses, I’m excited to properly start travelling. Valencia is booked for next week, and Málaga is in the works. One of my pieces of advice this week is to make the most of your friends being on their year abroad and consider doing a ‘swap’ with them. My second tip is to double-check if your college offers a travel grant, which might help travelling around a little more affordable and enjoyable.

Having said this, I don’t feel the necessity to travel every week like my American counterparts; I’m quite content simply living in Madrid. I’m having a great time here, especially enjoying the nightlife. What’s not so fun, and never will be, is going to class hungover. Back in my second year, I could easily roll out of bed late and still make it to my 9am at Sidge from Newnham House. Now, getting up, getting ready, taking the metro, all to sit through two-hour seminars in Spanish with no break is definitely not for the weak.

“When will you ever be in your twenties, living abroad in a city like Madrid again?”

And of course, the nightlife scene definitely makes living here more expensive. While a pint might not be quite the £6.70 it is at The Eagle (or, at least last time I checked), living in any capital centre quickly adds up. It’s important to strike a balance between being sensible with your budget while also treating yourself. When will you ever be in your twenties, living abroad in a city like this again? I might not need to buy coffee out, go for brunch, or buy that top from Zara, but we all need to treat ourselves every now and then.

A difference you might not immediately think about during a year abroad is that, as a student here, you’re rarely living in student accommodations surrounded by other students. This can be a change for when you’re used to being around people who have similar interests, sleep schedules and timetables. Even though I’m technically in a neighbourhood popular with students, my building has a mix of all kinds of people. While we’ve been respectful and tried to live as cordially as possible, it’s clear some neighbours have made assumptions about us as anglophone students. I get that for the locals it’s frustrating when foreign students come and treat the city like their playground. I will admit that some of the encounters we’ve had were a bit reactive and unnecessary. However, a friendly chat in Spanish eventually sorted it out, and they were surprised I could even speak the language. Now, we laugh and joke on the staircase from time to time.

Writing this column fortnightly gives me the chance to reflect on my year abroad so far. I feel like I’ve been living in Spain for ages, but at the same time, it feels like I’ve just arrived. It keeps me on track, makes me appreciate how privileged I am to have this year out, and reminds me to make the most of it before it’s all but a memory preserved in my Instagram stories and these articles. It also makes me realise that the experience isn’t, and doesn’t have to be, as smooth sailing as it appears to be on polished social media accounts. With that in mind, I hope the next fortnight is filled with more culture, more travelling, fewer nightmare next-door neighbours, and less rain!

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Send us a letter to letters@varsity.co.uk or by using this form